ENGL 8020

SANDRA RUIZ

FEBRUARY 11, 2016

INTRODUCTION
IN THE MESSENGER, MONTERO PRESENTS A STORY FULL OF SYMBOLISM, RELIGION,
SPIRITUALITY AND CULTURE.
SHE CLEVERLY INTERTWINES FACT WITH FICTION IN SUCH A BELIEVABLE WAY THAT THE RESULT
IS A NOVEL, RICH IN METAPHOR AND ALLUSION.

INTRODUCTION
WHILE THE CENTRAL STORY OF THE NOVEL IS THAT OF THE LOVE AFFAIR BETWEEN AIDA PETRIRENA
CHENG, A CHINESE-CUBAN WOMAN OF MIXED ANCESTRY, AND THE FAMOUS ITALIAN TENOR
ENRICO CARUSO, THE NOVEL CONTAINS MULTIPLE INTERWOVEN METANARRATIVES WHICH
SUPPLEMENT, ANALYZE, AND ATTEMPT TO EXPLAIN THIS CENTRAL LOVE STORY.
THESE METANARRATIVES FREQUENTLY EVOKE THE STORIES OF THE ORISHAS IN THE SANTERAN
TRADITIONSPECIFICALLY, THE STORIES OF CHANG, AND YEMAY,ALONG WITH THE DIRECT
INVOCATIONS AND REFERENCES TO THESE ORISHAS THROUGHOUT THE NOVEL.
THE MESSENGER FOCUSES NOT ONLY ON CHARACTERS WHO ARE AFRO-CUBAN DESCENDANTS OF
YORUBALAND, BUT ALSO ON CHINESE-CUBAN DESCENDANTS OF THOSE WHO WERE A PART OF
THE COOLIE BONDAGE SYSTEM.

AFRO-CARIBBEAN SANTERIA,
AFRO-CHINESE MAGIC
(OR CHINESE SANTERIA ),

AND SYMBOLISM

SOME HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

PRINCIPLE CHARACTERS:

YUAN PEI FU
DOMITILA
AIDA CHENG

ENRICO CARUSO
ENRIQUETA CHENG
JOSE DE CALAZN

AFRO-CUBAN SANTERIA
IN THE MESSENGER

SANTERIA CALAZN
ONE OF THE EARLIEST SCENES OF RITUAL IN THE NOVEL PRESENTS JOS DE CALAZN, AIDAS
GODFATHER, LOOKING INTO AIDA IN ORDER TO SEE HER FUTURE. HE THROWS THE KUELE,
A TOOL HE USES IN ORDER TO FACILITATE THIS PROCESS.
HERE THE MYTHICAL IS MANIFESTED IN REALITY (AS OPPOSED TO BEING METAPHORIC OR
EXISTENT ONLY IN DREAMS), AS THE KUELE PROVIDES CALAZN WITH A VISION OF AIDAS
AND ENRICOS TRAGIC LOVE WHICH COMES TRUE.
HE HEARD MUSIC IN THE KUELE WHICH WAS STRANGE.

SANTERIA.. DOMITILA
AFTER AIDAS FIRST HUSBAND AND DAUGHTER DIED, HER MOTHER BEGAN TO PREPARE AN
OMIERO, A POTION TO PURIFY THE HOUSE. WHEN IT WAS FINISHED SHE SAID A FEW
PRAYERS, AND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YEARS I HEARD HER SAY SOME PHRASES IN THE OLD
LANGUAGE, THE LUCUMI LANGUAGE THAT MY GRANDMOTHER HAD TAUGHT HER.
AFTER THIS ATTEMPT TO CLEANSE THEY PAID A SECOND VISIT TO DE CALAZN, WHERE THEY
LEARNED THAT THEY MUST CALL UPON A GREATER POWER: THAT OF THE CHINESE PAISANOS.

CHINESE-CUBAN SANTERIA
IN THE MESSENGER

SANFANCN. YUAN PEI FU

SANFANCN IS THE FUSION OF KUAN KONG AND CHANGO, THE AFRICAN GOD OF WAR,
AND SANTA BARBARA, THE CATHOLIC MARTYR AND SAINT.
DESPITE HIS CHINESE ROOTS, SANFANCN WAS AND IS ONLY VENERATED AMONG CHINESE
CUBANS.
THESE CROSS-CULTURAL MYTHIC SIMILARITIES ARE DISCUSSED EARLY ON IN THE NOVEL, WHEN
AIDAS MOTHER BRINGS TOGETHER THE HOLY MEN WHO ARE HER SPIRITUAL GODFATHERS,
CALAZN AND YUAN PEI FU, TO DISCUSS THE PREMONITIONS ABOUT AIDAS FUTURE.

CHINESE-SANTERIA. YUAN PEI FU

THEY DECIDE THAT THE SAINTS ARE THE SAME EVERYWHERE, THEYRE THE SAME IN CHINA
AND IN GUINEA.
AIDAS MOTHER ALSO REPORTS THAT THEY INFORMED HER THAT THE SAINTS OF DIFFERENT
TRADITIONS ARE BLOOD BROTHERS.
AIDA ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS PRAYS TO AND MAKES OFFERINGS TO SANFANCN WHO
SHE REFERS TO IN ONE INSTANCE AS EL CHANG DE LOS CHINOS.
YUAN PEI FU ENVISIONS AIDAS FATE TO BE THAT SEEN BY CALAZAN.

AFRO-CUBAN AND CHINESE SANTERIA ..AIDA

AFTER THE EXPLOSION, AIDA CAN HEAR THE VOICE OF YUAN PEI FU IN HER HEAD, TELLING HER
THAT, HES VERY CLOSE.
SHE THEN WHISPERED THE LITANY MY GODFATHER HAD TOLD ME TO SAY: IY NL, IY OYIB,
IY ER, IY, MI LNU, THATS THE PRAYER THAT MEANS: GREAT MOTHER, MOTHER OF THE
WHITES, MOTHER OF THE BLACKS, HAVE MERCY.

IN CIENFUEGOS, AIDA FINDS HERSELF LOOKING FOR GUIDANCE IN BOTH OF HER SPIRITUAL
FATHERS AS SHE REALIZED SHE WAS A A CHILD OF THEM BOTH.
IN THE CAVE SHE WAS TAKEN TO AFTER THE BEATING, AIDA WAS POSSESSED BY YEMAYA, WHO
MOUNTED HER AND KEPT HER ALIVE THAT NIGHT.

OTHER INSTANCES OF CEREMONIAL PRACTICES

INCLUDE:
EBBO, AN OFFERING OF FOOD, DRINK AND MUSIC TO THE SAINTS.
OSSODE, DONE IN MATANZAS WHEN CALAZN WANTED TO KNOW WHAT IS WAITING
FOR HIM.
AIDAS POSSESSION AND THE CLEANSING CEREMONY WHERE THE SACRIFICING OF
ANIMALS (WHICH INCLUDED A BLACK ROOSTER, A BLACK DUCK, A TORTOISE, AND A GUINEA
HEN) CARRIED ON FOR HOURS.

SYMBOLISM
FIRE
WATER
NAMES
STONES

http://es.slideshare.net/AguiladeIfaFoundat/sanfankon-unchino-yoruba-12884798