OK, so I read Sab by Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda y Arteaga. If Kroger had existed in the 19th century, and Fabio were available for the cover art, thousands of Cuban eyes would have grazed the image of his long flowing blonde hair as Enrique Otway, with a Catherine Zeta-Jones type holding his leg portraying the young, naive Carlota while checking out in the express lane. I guess what I am trying to say (in my not so subtle way) is that this book read like a soap opera, and contained all of the appropriate dramatic elements for that genre. The novel's saving grace, however, was that it is actually quite subversive for a text of its nature - filled with social commentary on race identity, slavery, the institution of marriage, and business (the last two kind of go together).
The most notable theme for me was that of race and slavery. The author (Gertrudis Gomez.........) was obviously anti-slavery and paints a portrait of the dichotomy of the slave owners (white aristocracy) and the slave. Through the character of Sab, Gomez was able to represent the permeable boundary between slave and slave owner. The son of his master's brother and a slave woman, Sab is a hard working, educated "mulatto" (author's word... I'm a lot more PC) who is truly not the typical slave. When he met Enrique, he was mistaken for a landowner, and not even thought to be Mullato. Sab was raised with Carlota (his master's daughter) because she would not do anything without him, thus accounting for his education and "elevated" slave status. Throughout the novel we see a portrait of his desires and feelings for Carlota, and hatred for the oppressive society that has held him down - represented by Enrique in some circumstances- and his ultimate demise.
All in all - a good book, with great descriptions of nature, beauty, pain and the state of man. At the end though, I found myself scratching my head, wondering... who shot JR???
Monday, February 12, 2007
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2 comments:
I know what you mean about the soap-opera elements of the book. Throughout it I found myself laughing a bit... it's just soooo dramatic. Don't get me wrong, I really tried to understand its "deeper" side, but the cheese-ball effect and Carlota's annoying naivity was a bit overwhelming.
-Christa
The "soap opera" element: yes, indeed, too much pining and whining. That said, it lacked something quite necessary for a soap opera: a tangible enemy. Sab was the victim of society, but no one person was consciously plotting his demise: Carlota and her father were constantly offering him his freedom. Enrique, who might have been the foil in a real soap opera, was never even aware that Sab was his symbolic, and potentially real, enemy.
So... who DID shoot J.R.? Maybe it was a suicide?!
---By the way, what is the politically correct term for "mulatto"? I have no idea. (Please don't tell me it is "people of color"). :-))
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