Who is Maria?

In the movie Maria Candelaria, the priest was the only person in town that respected Maria for who she was, and did not accuse her for what her mother had done. A very important line that he spoke to the people of his town can perhaps show the whole message of the movie.

"You accuse this woman, but who accuses you? Because you, all of you, murdered Maria Candelaria's mother by saying she brought shame to this town with her bad behavior." (Maria Candelaria 1944)

To tell the truth, the connections that were made in class between Maria and the Virgin, or Lorenzo Rafael and Christ are not so apparent to me. I can see how it is possible, but really cannot seem to accept that this is what the main point of the movie was. Rather, the first thought that came to mind when I finished the movie was how Maria Candelaria seemed to represent Mexico as a whole and their relations with the rest of the world.

Especially in today’s society, it seems as if the indigenous people are often viewed as the bad guy, or people that do not deserve complete acknowledgement. In the United States illegal immigration is often a topic of conversation and jokes, and anyone from Central or South American descent is lumped into one category, without any separation between the different countries or cultures. It could be argued that becoming successful and socially accepted into high positions is much harder for Americans that come from these southern countries. This is similar to Maria, who was shunned because of her background, and not because of anything she herself had done.

I believe that Maria Candelaria is a representation of racism not only against Indians in Mexico, but also against Hispanics in the world. How else could this movie be interpreted? What makes this film a success? And why is Maria Candelaria such a hero?

Simple Complexity

I would like to discuss an oil painting by Tarsila do Amaral: Central Railway of Brazil. In the Latin American art book it stated,

"The [city themes] have the flat facades of modern buildings, and no perspective, although space is constructed by overlapping and diminution of scale... The cityscapes, railways, etc. suggest a kind of industrial primitivism." (Ades 134)

The thing that caught my attention most when i first studied this painting was the way Amaral was able to portray a complex scene with simple shapes. Just as the quote states, there seems to be an oxymoron: “industrial primitivism.” Amaral showed the complex world of industry to look like a primitive society.

This made me wonder, is our world that much different from earlier societies? Even with all our gadgets that men have created in order to satisfy wants, humanity still has the same base desires as any other time period. Societies are still looking for the best way of living- for the most profitable lifestyle, whether physically, mentally, or spiritually.

Take government for example. Philosophers from as early as Greek or Roman time periods (Aristotle specifically) searched for the most just form of government. As much as we have excelled in technology, it seems as if the ideal government has still eluded us, although we have reached a couple steps closer.

Technology did not further understanding. The more we know about the universe and the physical properties, the more the complexity of it all seems to baffle us. The more humanity knows, the more it is aware that it does not know. While our landscapes have become full of tall buildings, airplanes, etc. the inside emotions and thoughts, as well as our problems, seem to have stayed roughly the same.

What makes society different than the societies of the past? Or what makes us more complex? Did the Central Railway of Brazil capture the truth of the industrial world?

More than Halloween

“The only things that interest me are those that are not mine.” (Ades 312)

I've got a bike, a laptop, a good place to live, etc. and yet I want a car, a new television, a bigger living room... As a typical human being, I am confident that I am not the only one that is unsatisfied with what I have. Even the people that average citizens would consider lucky, rich—maybe even happy—are constantly searching for more. 

An example of that annoying desire that always seems to accompany us, the desire for something different, is illustrated in the movie A Nightmare Before Christmas. Jack Skelllington is the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, loved and praised by all. He is terribly good at what he does, and yet he becomes bored, an actor sick of the act. Here is Jack’s lament over his current life (you don’t have to watch all of the videos, unless you love the songs like I do):

And then, Jack comes across Christmas Town and likes what he sees. Think about how Jack represents us, and Christmas Town is everything that we don’t have.

Why is it that humans always seem to be searching for something more? What are we searching for? Perhaps it is love; perhaps it is religion. And all the little things that we think we want are just objects to take the place of those which are most fundamental. Seeing someone else’s happiness strikes us with jealousy, and we want what they have. And yet very few people that society would deem as “happy” are truly satisfied. 

Are you happy? Am I? That may be one of the end results that we should strive for in life: the state of wanting nothing. Until we have acquired perfect content with who we are and what we have received, we cannot be happy. 

Up until Forever

“The deeper the root in the earth, the harder it is to withdraw the plant. Each step Iracema takes on the road of farewell is a root which she plants in the heart of her guest.” (Iracema 57)

This quote is a wonderful representation of the longing that accompanies goodbyes. As Iracema travels with Martim to the end of her land he declares this, trying to get her to turn back, to let him go on alone with Pato. The longer Iracema was with them, the harder it was for Martim to say goodbye to her.

Another quote that shows this heartfelt longing to stay together is in The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks: 

“The reason it hurts so much to separate is because our souls are connected.”

This has the same idea that one person is attached to the other, whether it be by roots in the heart or their souls, it all is the same.

So why is this a fantastic way of viewing love? All of us have felt this in some way. Our most valued friend has planted their roots inside of us with each word, each act—even just their presence has been another tendril growing, making it harder for their presence to be completely removed from our life. When saying goodbye to someone we care deeply about, a question that many have is whether they would want a quick goodbye, or a long one? Martim, when speaking to Iracema, realized that prolonging the inevitable was only making it harder. Everything she did and said pierced his heart with a new root.

Goodbyes are never easy, and the more roots that are connecting two souls together make pulling the tree out much harder. Thus, cutting the trunk is often the only way to say goodbye—an abrupt end. But the roots still remain with the memories and the feelings. A part of their soul remains in your own. 

Living in a Memory

Here are words spoken by a man full of guilt and regret for allowing a beautiful people and their Catholic priests to be massacred:

Altamirano: "So, your Holiness, now your priests are dead, and I am left alive. But in truth it is I who am dead, and they who live. For as always, your Holiness, the spirit of the dead will survive in the memory of the living." (The Mission 1986)

This statement stuck me as something that I had heard before, an echo that is heard repeatedly in works throughout history. This sorrowful declaration is full of truth, truth that may be hidden in the back of the mind, until it is brought to the surface when reminded.

The spirit of the dead survives in the living. Humans are full of memories. That is how we learn, that is how we live. And that is how we die. Using the past as a guide for our future, whether it be our own or the past of others, is how we become the best we can be—the ideal human. We live to give others an impression, to leave our mark on the world. We live to put our own memories into another. And we cannot feel completely ready to die until we know that we will be remembered – that we will go on living in another’s mind.

Altamirano’s thought also requires a closer look at the speaker himself. "It is I who am dead” may show that this man truly felt remorse for what he did, that he would not feel alive again until he received redemption from his sin. Is this a sign that he deserves forgiveness? If a man causes hundreds of innocent deaths, can he be saved? This question has been asked throughout religious ages. Who can be saved? Who is damned forever? The Mission may have been addressing this very question. However, I believe that is a question that cannot be answered by a fellow human being. Altamirano was not dead yet; he still could become his ideal self. Neither is anyone done living after a mistake.

We all have the chance to become the best we can be, and leave our legacy behind, further helping the generations after become even better than ourselves.

Worship Zeus or Be Electrocuted

When reading Victors and Vanquished, it told of an Aztec leader that was asked for help by the Mexica people that were being attacked by the Spaniards. This leader refused to help his brothers in the fight, saying,

“Why would strangers come without cause? A god has sent them, that is why they came!” (p. 188)

This idea, that God or the gods determine what happens, is found in many cultures. The mentioned leader claimed that they were being defeated because they hadn't worshiped the gods in a sufficient way. Why would a culture believe so strongly that their gods play such a large part in their lives?

When thinking about this, I remembered reading something like this for my other class, Western Humanities. The tie together was perfect, because I’ve been studying about another war in Greek times, told by the Iliad. The Greek culture also put great importance in their gods and throughout the story there are multiple times when the gods intervene and help whoever they prefer to win, often when that person would not have won otherwise.

Tying these two cultures together – the Greek and the Aztec – also helps in thinking about other cultures and how they have the same views. Even in the Latter-day Saint mind, blessings and consequences play a huge part in our reasoning behind what happens to us in this life.

I guess this stood out to me because I wonder why humans want something to blame when things go wrong, and to praise when things go right. Maybe it’s our inner desire for a bigger picture, and a need to know that we aren’t just on the earth by chance. We want a larger being to be in control, even if that larger being is selfish, punishing, and worship-hungry. Trying to please a god gives something to live for, and something to die for. Believing that hardships come from disobedience gives hope that life can get better. 

Darth Vader tactics

As I was reading "The Sons of La Malinche," written by Octavio Paz, I came across this quote:

"The phrase 'I am your father' has no paternal flavor and is not said in order to protect or to guide another, but rather to impose one's superiority, that is, to humiliate." (65)

Immediately, I was reminded of the well-known line from Star Wars, when Darth Vader tells Luke Skywalker that rather than killing Luke's father, he WAS Luke's father. Now I'm not a Star Wars fan, but there's no way this scene would not come to mind when the words "I am your father" are ever said. But in this case, I believe that the movie-scene fits perfectly with the quote. Let's analyze.

When Paz stated that the phrase is not said in order to protect or guide, that can clearly be seen in Darth Vader's motivation for telling Luke who he was. Vader was definitely not trying to have a touching moment with his son. Protection? He just finished cutting off Luke's arm. Guidance? Yes, come to the dark side Luke. I think we can safely assume that Darth Vader was not having a change of heart and did not really care much about the fact that he was fighting against his own child.

With this in mind, we can begin to decipher exactly what the motive was for telling Luke this life-changing fact. As Paz said, "I am your father" says "I am your superior" and effectively lowers the other's status, thus humiliating them. Take a look at the movie clip and pay attention to just how humiliated and horrified Luke is (and try not to laugh).

Luke's rival, the one he has been trying to defeat, has just told him that he was fighting against a fantasy, a lie. If that's not a life-changer, I don't know what is. Darth Vader's offer for them to join together and fight together was in a way even more humiliating. He is offering Luke to not only give up all that he has ever believed, but fight against. it. In telling Luke that he is Luke's father, Darth Vader has degraded Luke to someone even less than he is. He is saying, you came from me, you are a product of my actions.

I think this is a perfect example of what Octavio Paz was saying. Anytime someone says "I am your father," it is in such a way that the child now feels as if they are in a shadow. They have to somehow break past what their "father" is, and become something better.