Final Paper (partial)

Matt Altstiel
12/20/05
CHIC 3507

Y No Se Lo Trago La Tierra

The novel, …y no se lo trago la tierra / …And the Earth Did Not Devour Him represents a pinnacle of post-modern as well as Chicano literature. The work has remained a powerful testament to the power of the human spirit more than thirty years after its initial publication. Through a revolutionary use of form, various personal voices and experiences coalesce into a coherent progress narrative highlighting the Chicano experience. Although the author Rivera contends that the novel was written and should be taken as a mere work of fiction and a piece of art, deep critiques of organized religion and social structures emerge throughout. While firmly entrenched within a particular temporal, the late 1940’s – 1950’s, the novel’s themes remain highly relevant in today’s society. This essay examines Rivera’s use of form and structure, as well identifying and analyzing important themes within the novel.

Post-modern literature sought to defy traditional literary structures of every form. Rivera combines the form of the short story and the novel to make a coherent and sustained linear progress narrative. The novel contains twelve named short stories as well as twelve short unnamed short vignettes. The novel occurs over the time frame of an indeterminate year, since one neither knows when exactly that specific year begins or ends. Rivera places the novel firmly within the context of the Korean War era, however does not place the stories within a specific dated year. Presumably, the stories and their subsequent vignettes represent a month within the “lost year” however it is unclear in most circumstances where exactly each event lies. The form employed by Rivera allows for much literary freedom as the writer can encapsulate the entire experience of the Chicano within one year.

While the novel contains an unusual structure, it does contain traditional elements which inform the course of the novel. Through a time-space continuum, the Chicano, identified as the main subject of the book travels through a journey of self-realization. Each segment brings the ‘Chicano’ further along in terms of experience and in terms of self-sufficiency. The first story, “The Lost Year” represents the confusion and displacement felt by the Chicano/a. However, unlike most novels, the novel contains two real climatic short stories which mark a great shift in consciousness. The short stories/chapters “…And the Earth Did Not Devour Him” and “The Portrait” mark crucial moments when the Chicano/a displays agency and changes the outcome for his/her favor. Rivera’s use of form perhaps mirrors the change in attitudes within the Chicano/a community signaled by the Brown Power/ Chicano movement as historical reclamation became highly valued and validated. The novel concludes with the short story, “Under the House” in which the Chicano/a reflects upon the events of the past year, and in remembering owns that history and exhibits control over the future. However, by no means does the end of the novel signify the fulfillment of promise and destiny; Rivera hints that the young boy, like the Chicano/a must face struggles ahead.

The novel’s use of characters helps broaden the scope of the novel to capture the entire experience of the Chicano/a and create a socially relevant piece of fiction. The novel portrays its characters in quite ambiguous terms since the novel does not focus on character. While the novel seems to return to a child/teenage protagonist within the short stories, the vignettes often seem to have no attachment to the young boy or his family. While the voices of the townspeople represent a wide variety of opinions, these voices inform the reader of a unique and culturally embedded consensus. Furthermore, most of the characters remain nameless or pop up very infrequently. This allows for an interpretation that the Chicano/a instead represents the main character, which each narrative bringing together elements to make well-rounded picture of the Chicano/a experience. One gets the sense of unity throughout the novel that is the Chicano/a people as whole who struggle to move beyond the instructions of oppression to forge a common identity and conceptions of success on their own terms.

The author’s use of language helps achieve of creating a compelling and unique Chicano narrative. Indeed, Rivera intentionally makes the Chicano/a his audience by originally writing the novel in Spanish. Furthermore, it is significant that the translation was done by a celebrated poet within the Chicano/a literary community. Written in the language of Chicano/a, a form of Spanish lying outside of academic Spanish as well as Mexican Spanish, Rivera captures the language and the essence of the Chicano/a. Phrases such as “Pierdes conmigo?” represent uniquely Chicano/a versions of language which the reader would immediately find identification with, (Rivera 50). Furthermore, Rivera writes the novel in the tradition of such writers as Ernest Hemmingway, and through the use of short sentence structure and blunt dialogue can convey many interpretations and deep symbolism. A key element of the novel, the vague but realistic use of dialogue further influences the reader to take the text as universal expression of the Chicano due to the interchangeability among language use.

Throughout the course of the novel, through the short stories and vignettes, various reoccurring themes emerge. Among the many themes: religion/faith, racism/injustice, and finally agency/empowerment represent those most prevalent. In addition, the aforementioned themes represent chief thematic elements through Chicano/a literature. Many of the above themes contain an implicit duality that one outcome/experience does not necessarily form opposition to an alternate reality. Therefore, within the novel: life and death, pleasure and suffering, injustice and empowerment, and faith and disbelief all coexist within the realm of shared reality. While it is important to recognize this duality, the element of social commentary and critique that Rivera makes through these themes remains most relevant to this essay.

The subject of faith and religion occurs as a pervasive element in the novel with roughly half of the stories involving some sort of religious significance. Rivera is deeply concerned with faith and organized religion as an impediment to social mobility and empowerment. Rivera openly criticizes blind faith that results in passive existence and ignorance. Furthermore, Rivera counters the infallibility the Church graphically illustrating that all humans share the same urges and desires. The hypocrisy of the Church and ideas of what constitutes sin are examined in “First Communion”. Rivera comments of the absurdity of confession stating, “I had committed one hundred and fifty sins, but I was going to admit to two hundred,” (Rivera 115). In attempt clear his conscious, the boy creates further sacrilege by lying to the Priest. In addition, while it can be left open to interpretation, the sex scene which involves the priest represents the ultimate sacrilege and hypocrisy of organized religion.

However, Rivera does seem to reject organized religion in favor of the mythical / syncretism traditional medicine of the curandero either. Unlike other Chicano works of literature, Rivera proves the methods of the curandera to be ineffectual in returning a son lost in the Korean War. Despite the advice given while in a trance that, “Julianito is fine. He’s just fine. Don’t worry about him anymore. Very soon he’ll be in your arms. He’ll be returning already next month,” the son does not come back from the war, (Rivera 89). The prayers and beseeching from a heartbroken mother do produce results either. Rivera instills his novel with the social commentary that faith alone does not produce results. Faith and reliance upon God’s will must be coupled with the ability to act and not accept situations passively. Faith and religion are personal enterprises that man/woman must practice themselves in order to reconcile the ideological and the actual.

Another theme Rivera deals with extensively are the themes of racism and injustice. Rivera reveals the Anglo-racism inherent among every sector by highlighting unjust treatment both in the territorial heart of Chicano territory as well in the North where migrant laborers headed for the summer. Thoroughly demonstrating unequal treatment Rivera uses pronouns particularly effectively in the passage, “the Mexican kid got into a fight and beat up a couple of our boys…No not bad…but what do I do?” (Rivera 94). Despite the fact the Chicano boy does not start the fight, it is he who is expelled and prevented from gaining an education. The necessity for Chicano education is downplayed as the Chicano is thought to a fieldworker who must accept a particular space on the socio-economic ladder.

The denial of service and unequal treatment was and to an extent remains a pervasive reality of Chicano/a life. A short vignette explains, “the barber told him again that he couldn’t cut his hair. He though the barber didn’t have time, so he remained seated waiting for the other barber. Then it all came clear to him and he went home to get his father,” (Rivera 103). Similarly, the experience of field work clarifies the injustice experienced by the Chicano as they are treated worse than animals by the Anglo establishment. Rivera writes, “the boss had it (water) there for the cattle and when he caught them drinking water there he got angry. They weren’t on contract, but by the hour,” (Rivera 86). In both cases, Rivera shows the consequences on the psyche of Chicano for continued dehumanizing injustice, however; Rivera neither excuses such behavior nor believes that such behavior should be tolerated.

By far the most powerful thematic element in the book, agency/empowerment represents the central premise of the novel. Writing to a Chicano audience, Rivera makes clear his intention that his work be interpreted as an inspirational peace of fiction urging his community to take its future into its own hands. The title short story, “…And the Earth Did Not Devour Him,” shows the rebellious spirit of the book towards institutionalized religion. The boy in the story asks his mother, who relies on the passivity of prayer and supplication to solve family illness and horrible working conditions. The son, who represents the nascent self-consciousness of the Chicano and a new willingness to challenge belief structures scolds his mother, “I tell you, God could care less about the poor. Tell me, why must we live here like this? What have we done to deserve this? You’re so good and you have to suffer so much,” (Rivera 109). The boy rebukes the passivity of his mother, actively criticizing God and the church whom have done nothing in his eyes to help his family. In doing so, the boy demonstrates the agency necessary to bring about the first positive development in the novel. Not only does his family recover from potentially life threatening illness, but “there were clouds in the sky and for the first time he felt capable of doing and undoing anything he pleased,” (Rivera 112). Only by actively challenging a belief system that promotes in action and maintenance of the status quo can one begin to assume control over their life.

Similarly, the theme of agency/empowerment shows the reader that the social and economic equality the Chicano faces on a daily basis can and must be changed. The story the portrait embodies the concept that stiff resolve and resistance counters the Anglo led oppression. When cheated and tricked out of money, a character in the novel does not accept such mistreatment, he confronts it and in doing so receives fair treatment and equality. While most of the Chicano’s do not act and simply accept the loss of their photos and memories to the Anglo salesperson, one man “was so angry that he drove to San antonio.”