deuxieme partie

I was really, really impressed by this book. After the first half of the book, I thought that lo real maravilloso had to do with brujería and vodú. However, I now think that the genre was created possibly not on purpose but because of the unbelievable history of Haiti's Independence and the many conflicts that followed its success. I find it very interesting to think that Haiti was the first country in Latin America that gained independence (2nd in the Americas) and that it was the lowest class in society that succeeded in doing so. The majority of the independence revolutions that followed throughout Latin America were led by Creoles (european-blooded elites)! The story of how Haiti gained independence is also the story of the first country in the Americas (i think) to have abolished slavery. What a magical story.

I really liked Carpentier's style of storytelling. Something in particular that I picked up on was that after Henri Christophe's people destroyed his castle in the sky and he is standing there realizing how quiet it is without his servants, he describes a bat flying up the empty staircase and a butterfly in one of the rooms. Subtly, nature begins to enter into the mansion. To me, this represented Christophe's culture. Not the european one he had tried so hard to adopt, but the magical african/american vodú culture of his people. Christophe denied his roots, his natural beginnings and a culture deeply connected his nature. He exploited his people and his island's resources only have them ultimately destroy him. I also found his death to be a perfect end.

p.s. did anyone else notice a theme of frio in the second half. it was word i kept stumbling upon but was the last word i expected in a climate like Haiti's.