The Intertwinement of History, Fiction, and Religion in Mumbo Jumbo
Mumbo Jumbo is an eccentric novel that intertwines history,
fiction, and religion. Reed blurs the line especially between history and
fiction throughout the novel. We’re thrown right into it at the very beginning,
when he introduces the concept of Jes Grew. It’s not an actual physical disease
(or plague, or anti-plague) that has ever existed, but Reed weaves it into a
portrait of early 20th century America as if it were fact. Reed takes real
historical events and gives us explanations for them that fit into his
narrative. For example, he tells us that the US occupation of Haiti (a real,
historical event) was actually launched by the Wallflower Order in an attempt
to quell Jes Grew: “The Wallflower Order launched the war against Haiti in
hopes of allaying Jes Grew symptoms by attacking their miasmatic source” (64).
Reed states it factually, as if this was the obvious explanation to why the US
attacked Haiti in 1915.
There are several other examples of how Ishmael Reed plays around with history and fiction, but I think the most interesting instance is at the very end of the book, where PaPa LaBas explains the true history of Jes Grew and the Wallflower Order. The story is richly saturated with different religious and cultural histories, and this is where he blends history, fiction, and religion. It’s grounded in historical fragments we know existed, at least vaguely: (The Crusades and Knights Templar, the spread of Islamic world, etc.). However, it also weaves in Egyptian religion and mythology, and Christianity. There are many prominent, recognizable Biblical figures involved- Moses and Jethro, the Virgin Mary, Jesus, and etc. LaBas provides the so-called ‘real’ history of these figures. For example, he explains that Moses, who is quite a revered Biblical figure, was essentially a fraud who was manipulated by the ghost of Set, a character that was depicted as a rather miserable person: “That was Set, the stick crook and flail man…. Set hated agriculture and nature which he saw as soiled dirty grimy etc. He was arrogant jealous egotistical and… began to plot on his brother’s downfall,” (162). LaBas also claims that Jesus was basically a watered-down version of Osiris, the former Egyptian king who brought peace and prosperity to the land: “Mary was the mother of the Atonist compromise Jesus Christ. They made him do everything that Osiris does, sow like a farmer, be a fisherman among men but he is still a bokor, a sorcerer, an early Faust,” (170).
What makes this weaving of history, fiction, and religion compelling is the inherent ambiguity surrounding religious beliefs. Religions, often considered sacred and historical, are, in essence, a form of collective fiction shaped by cultural contexts and interpretations. Religion can be either history or fiction based on who is consuming it. Reed exploits this duality by presenting alternative histories for well-known religious figures and challenging traditional narratives. Ultimately, I think Reed's unconventional approach serves as a critique and resistance against cultural and religious hegemony. By destabilizing established historical and religious narratives, he encourages us as readers to question authority, challenge preconceived notions, and explore a more nuanced understanding of the complex interplay between history, fiction, and belief systems.
I find what you say quite interesting. To me, it felt like Reed portrayed much of European religion as satire, similar to how he portrays much of Europe. He boils down Christian history to a great oversimplification, and I believe that this may be due to how African religious history has been oft displayed in Western media. It feels like he is attempting to prompt the reader to question their understanding of religion and why the reader believes what they believe about their own past. To me, it did feel like he overdid the emphasis on Egyptian history, but I think it played really well with the base plot of the novel. This was an unconventional approach as you said, but I do find that it worked quite well. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI think the idea of an anti-plague really puts into perspective what Jes Grew really symbolizes from the very beginning--the idea that culture is constantly in motion and that culture can catch like wildfire. But what Jes Grew also emphasizes is that culture and its roots can be stompted out, even if just temporarily. Whether there are some with an agenda who refuse to see the world around them change, or perhaps the anti-plague simply doesn't catch on enough to overtake, the book also insinuates that everything will happen in its own time. Papa La Bas acceptance of a dwindling Jes Grew epidemic, causes him to come to the revelation that the death of Jes Grew is not the end and that, before long, even within his lifetime there will be a remergence of the movement and that it will come back stronger than ever before. This is a good lesson in cultural movement because it implies that there is no one culture and is constantly in dynamic transition. Reed nails this idea in particularly well when Hinckle Von Hampton is trying to select one singular Harlem Renaissance poet to represent and speak for the entire movement but all of them refuse on the grounds that it is impossible for one man to speak for an entire race or sum up the essence of the Harlem Renaissance and its inspiration in one piece of artwork. In this way, Reed is teaching us the wrong way to approach culture: something that can be replicated and something that can be summarized or forced to occur, instead implying that culture will return in different forms stronger than ever before, adopting the lessons it has learned from previous movements while also taking its own direction.
ReplyDeleteLike you said, Reed's way of combining these three elements in this story is unconventional, kinda weird, and hard to follow most of the time, but at the same time it's able to really grab hold of your interest and serve as a critique too. It's entirely true that religion can be interpreted as either history, fiction, or maybe even a bit of both, and that's the basis in which Reed moulds this lore for Jes Grew and Atonism. It definitely carries some sort of similarities with Ragtime, where the *real* parts of this history and/or religion that were sort of lost in translation/vague/up for interpretation are what allows him to fill in those holes with his own parts of the narrative.
ReplyDelete(this was a nice blog post btw i forgot to add that)
DeleteThe Haiti occupation example is especially reflective of these effects you describe, as Reed also writes into his fiction the idea that the fact that most readers will never have heard of the US military occupation of Haiti from 1914 to 1934--because the Wallflower Order has suppressed the information! Hinckle "leaks" it by including the headline that gets him fired, but Reed also offers an alternative historical narrative wherein the Wallflower Order is also responsible for why our history books don't mention Haiti, and why the details of Battraville and his associates in their struggle to resist the US presence are so unfamiliar to Reed's readers. The author banks on the assumption that all of us are products of an Atonist education.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI really like this idea that Reed is making a commentary on whether religion is history or fiction. In my mind, I thought Reed's plan was to make the "history of the wallflower order" as ridiculous as possible whilst incorporating parts of Christianity in it. The idea that Moses was able to turn a stick into a snake sounds ridiculous, until you find out that it's in the Bible. Suddenly, VooDoo and Reed's "history" don't sound too far fetched if you compare it to Christianity. In a way, Mumbo Jumbo undermines the religion of Christianity just like how the Western World undermines VooDoo. You make a compelling post.
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting how you mentioned religion can be viewed as either historical or fictional. This is definitely the idea Ishmael Reed was playing with when he was detailing the history of Ancient Egypt, Atonism, and more broadly Jes Grew. Moreover, I think the fact that Reed messes with our concept of different religions somehow makes the novel as a while more believable. If people are inclined to follow certain beliefs and faiths based on the stories provided by prophets, who's to say Reed isn't also offering an interpretation of religion that can co-exist with current religions (I don't know if Reed would consider himself a prophet, though)?
ReplyDeletehi hannah! i really like this post! i am also a fan of your use of the word quell. i like that word. but anyways, i really don't know much about the bible, or biblical figures or stories in general, so i appreciate your pointing all of that out. i had obviously already seen the blurring of history and fiction in this novel, but i also hadn't thought to add religion into that mix. i think that religion is an interesting kind of blend between those two things. religion for some is history, but for others, it's fiction, so i think your inclusion of it here is particularly insightful.
ReplyDeleteReed certainly, like Doctorow (and maybe many other postmodernist writers), treats many fictitious events as if they were real - granted, the interplay between historical events and a historical 'personification' , if you will, is much stronger than what we find in Ragtime. I might disagree with your point that through an alternative narrative, the current system is directly faced with a challenge to it's authority; perhaps, an alternative explanation is just an alternative explanation. Maybe the argument could be made that, in presenting a different and unorthodox representation of African American culture in the present day as an alternative to the story of a peoples often overlooked, there is a challenge for which narrative might end up taking the throne; the response to this, I think, would be to say that if the existence of this alternative narrative is to cause us to question the authoritative narrative, that would be in contradiction to the challenging and subsequent overtaking of the old narrative by the new one/
ReplyDeleteHistory as fiction in this class, but especially in this book is such an interesting topic. Even more so when you add in religion - which as you said - carries so much history with it. The way he intertwines so many different religions too is incredibly fun to read. Personally I don't know much about any religion, but it was such a big part of this book with the wallflower order being so important. This was a great post!
ReplyDeleteI like how this post highlights how Religion can be interpreted as historical or fiction, depending on you ask. I think this gives Reed some wiggle room to alter established mythology to make it better adhere to a new history. I think he does a good job of making the religious stories still very recognizable and making some sense. It's like looking at the same story from a different perspective, which I think is a very present theme when it comes to history.
ReplyDelete