Analysis of So Far From God by Ana Castillo - Book Report/Review Example

Running head: So Far From God by Ana Castillo So Far From God by Ana Castillo In her work – So Far From God, Castillo brings out a rich cultural mix of lives, stories and experiences, all interwoven in a narrative about a Chicano family that is settled in the little town of Tome, situated in New Mexico. It is based on Sofi, her husband Domingo and their four daughters who are Fe, Esperanza, Caridad and Loca, who being the youngest, is also epileptic. Other characters abound including the psychic surgeon, the healer, Francisco el Penitente (El Franky), and Do’ a Felicia, among a host of others. The author, Castillo, in her major works writes about Chicano feminism and touches on other issues such as identity, classism and the all too emotive issue of race. The influence of magical realism is ever so present in many of her imaginative fictional works and ‘So Far From God’ is no exception. In it, she tells of intimate details pertaining to different people; of their losses and loves as espoused in the narrative. Through the narrative she uses magical realism that is focused on the examination of the lives of Mexican-American women eking out a living on the borders. Sofi and her family live at a crossroads between Mexican, Chicano and Spanish cultures that tremendously impact on their lives. The author clearly talks about the Chicano family bringing out issues about their identity and the challenges they passed through in their daily life activities (Castillo, 1993). She, Sofi, while juggling between childcare and her small business, confronts both the unchanging traditions that pertain to birth, growth (lifetime), and loss (death), and the modern scientific and technological era to which she belongs. The constant competition between her and her neighbors, in the religious traditions of curanderismo, Catholicism and folk-traditions; this pertaining to the Spiritual realm, was their comfort. From this, we can be able to perceive the notion pertaining to matters of the occult where a blend of the different religious identities resulted in a society that was deeply steeped in the world of magic. The opening chapter of the narrative is exemplified by the death of Sofi’s youngest daughter, Loca. She is supposedly transported through hell, where she is able to view its details and then miraculously transferred back to earth where she regains life again. She returns to Tome, where she has frequent epileptic fits due to her experiencing much of the spiritual realm. Other reactions include her, Loca, preferring the company of horses as opposed to human company; this due to her not being able to stand human scent. The fact that she is able to die; visit hell and arise again exemplifies the notion of interconnectedness of life, from a person’s or animal’s birth to the death time and finally into the spirit world (Castillo, 1993). The absence of Sofi’s husband Domingo, during the mourning period is also distinctive, as this may be attributable to deep rooted traditions and culture that gives preference of boys/ sons over girls/ daughters. Also the fact that none of Sofi’s relatives had approved of their marriage, and also lack of the local priest’s blessings; this through performing the wedding ceremony had added to the distance between Sofi and her husband. Domingo had actually left Sofi soon after Loca’s birth. The notion of tradition is present here; this informed by the fact that Domingo left Sofi, after her fourth daughter’s conception. This may emanate from the fact that they had been unable to conceive a baby boy, who traditionally is viewed as both the heir and head-of-family in waiting (Castillo, 1993). She, Loca, also likes to talk frequently with the folk character La Llorona, a Mexican-American and this exemplifies the notion of tradition that impacts significantly on the contemporary society. Her odd behavior, coupled with her different perspectives that are informed by her having gone to hell and come back eventually leads to the townspeople calling her La Santa Loca (the Crazy Saint). She is later on to die of AIDS, a sad departure since the disease is associated with the notion of sexual gratification that is from a multiplicity of partners. Her death brings out the notion of heartbreak that is evident in her mother’s sorrow and grief after her demise. Her different perspectives bring out the notion of spirituality, transcendence and broadmindedness that appears to be both queer and perplexing to the local community. Her experience is oddly distinct from the more common and frequent spirit encounters that the local population is privy to (Castillo, 1993). Sofi’s second youngest daughter, Caridad, leads a provocative lifestyle that sees her move from one bar to the other. The resultant outcome leads to her being raped, by la Malogra, a folk monster who is said to reside on empty highways. The above brings to the fore the notion of sexuality and prostitution, with magical realism developing from the presence of the folkloric New Mexican monster. Her miraculous healing leads her to her new vocation as a curandera (traditional healer) from which she embarks on an annual pilgrimage. It is on this journey that she meets the love of her life, who is also a woman (Castillo, 1993). Francisco, the local saint-carver stalks Caridad on her pilgrimage, only to be astounded by the two lovers’ deaths occasioned by their suicide. There is presented the notion of cultural affiliations as espoused by Loca’s new calling and pilgrimage; with their two deaths symbolizing their autonomy from male conquest. Tradition prescribes that a woman shall be married by a man, so Caridad’s love, in the form of another woman is a show of defiance and subsequently brings out the notion of self-determination and liberal ideology. Also the notion of unwavering and undying faith in her love, traditions notwithstanding, is testament of her eventual sacrifice of her own life than not to be with her woman love (Castillo, 1993). In the story, the reality faced by Chicanos prior to the 1970s decades when the society was moving towards the dismantling of the personal confines that had closed them out of the mainstream society. The activities that went on during that time could be defined as a move against three-fold oppression. The Chicanos were discriminated because of being one of the minority groups in the society. They endured a series of victimization especially for women who were denied their rights, as human beings, by their male counterparts. It is with this concern that Ana Castillo wrote So Far From God, to show the suffering that the Chicanos went through especially women (Castillo, 1993). She carefully brings up the chronicles undergone by five women who were members of the same family. In the story, she narrates the story of Sofia and her four daughters who struggle in issues as women, workers and lovers. Through the five, Ana Castillo portrays diverse situations and procedures that people undergo through to preserve their identity and socioeconomic issues. When the women decide to resist male dominance and influence, in their lives, the consequences of their actions are negative and turn tragic, in certain cases. Throughout the story, men drive women into self denial and destruction. The only way to survive in the male dominated society of the Chicanos is to cooperate with what the men demand. External issues of war and politics also exert influence on women as victims. This is because issues such as war and politics are dominated by men not only in Chicano but also in other societies (Castillo, 1993). Fe, the second born, relentlessly pursues the American Dream, to which she pays the ultimate sacrifice; with her life, after becoming sick due to frequent chemical exposure. The notion of modernity and a luxurious lifestyle is espoused in Fe’s ambitions at making a place for herself in the modern world, with the notion of bereavement presenting itself upon her death. The first born daughter of Sofi, Esperanza is educated and longs for an independent life away y from the village. Her job, as a news anchor entails her travel to Saudi Arabia where unfortunately she is killed in the war. Her spirit is said to reside with La Llorona’s and La Loca’s in their different endeavors (Castillo, 1993). From the above, in conclusion, the notion of modernity is evident with Esperanza’s wish of a new life. Her search for independence brings out the notion of detachment from her old life into a new one. Unfortunately her death in a foreign land, while pursuing her dreams, brings out the notion of bereavement to Sofi who by now has lost all of her daughters. Sofi in the end is strengthened and turns away from the traditional way of life (of a homemaker) to a reformer and politician. The notions of strength, renewal and political ideology are espoused with her questing for the creation of an intertwined cooperative. The notions of togetherness, concern and care for not only one-self, but for others is evident in her turn from her tragic past life into her present life where she is a giver of hope and courage. The author interweaves the concept of modernity and tradition or culture as they fight against each other. Modernity separates Esperanza from her family to go and fulfill her dreams and live a new life. Reference Castillo, A. (1993). So Far from God. New York: W. W. Norton. Read More