We touched briefly on Earline’s role in Mumbo Jumbo during
class and this post is a product of my thoughts on that.
Jes Grew is a phenomenon spread by the youth. One of the
main issues the white people (and the Atonists) have with Jes Grew is that teens
are getting into it as a form of rebellion. The only named white person in
rebellion of Atonist beliefs, other than the dancing hordes affected by Jes Grew,
is Thor Wintergreen, whose foray into the Mu’tafikah ends after he gives the
rest of the group up to Biff Musclewhite. He starts out very committed to the
Mu’tafikah, but eventually he is forced/convinced to go back to the dominant
Atonist culture.
Earline seems to be the equivalent youth that doesn’t fit in
with Jes Grew. Although she works for Papa LaBas, she is skeptical of his ideas
and methods in the beginning, saying to LaBas, “There you go jabbering again…
Your conspiratorial hypothesis about some secret society molding the consciousness
of the West. You know you don’t have any empirical evidence for it that; you can’t
prove….” (Reed 25). She obviously isn’t totally convinced of LaBas’ ideas about
the Wallflower Order. She also says to LaBas that, “We need scientists and
engineers, we need lawyers” (Reed 26). With the emphasis on fact and order,
Earline’s ideas mix more with those of Atonism that those of Jes Grew. However,
after Papa LaBas talking with her for a short paragraph, she breaks down,
revealing that she’s stressed because of Berbelang. This breakdown reminded me
a bit of Thor’s, but the circumstances are not as dire.
By the end of the book, however, Earline has changed, saying
to LaBas that she’s “thinking about going to New Orleans and Haiti, Brazil and
all over the South studying our ancient cultures, our HooDoo cultures. Maybe by
and by some future artists 30 to 40 years from now will benefit from my
research. Who knows. Pop, I believe in Jes Grew now” (Reed 206). Throughout the
book, Earline commits herself to the idea of Jes Grew. However, rather than being
forced to agree with Jes Grew, she is persuaded through her possession by a loa
and Papa LaBas’ story.
Earline plays a background role, but nonetheless one that is
very important. In my opinion, in addition to being one of the youths convinced
by Papa LaBas, Earline shows the advancement of the reader’s perspective while
reading Mumbo Jumbo. In the beginning, she has an Atonist background and is
merely asking for some clarity, similar to what readers are thinking. By the
end, she, as well as readers, have been relatively convinced that Jes Grew and Papa
LaBas’ ideas are legitimate. Where we leave Earline is also significant. She
invites Papa LaBas to a play “in Lafayette Theatre” called “Mumbo Jumbo Holiday”
(Reed 206-207). In class, we talked
about how events in theaters are typically Atonist. Perhaps this is Reed’s way
of reminding us that we are reading Mumbo Jumbo with an Atonist background and that we can't truly see Jes Grew in an unbiased way?
What do you think?
This is such an interesting post especially considering the panel presentation presented in 8th hour. We were discussing how Earline and other females don't play strong and complex roles in the book and how they are usually placed in relation to men. Papa Labas always seems to be putting Earline down and she is always either echoing Berbelang or PapaLabas ideas, not her own. And even when she does speak, she never has that confidence in her voice.
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