BP2- Analysis of the short stories.

"Green Cane & Juicy Flotsam...” is a recollection of short stories written by women from all over the Caribbean. These women dare themselves to express through their stories all their thoughts & feeling that had been captivated by their unjust society. By doing so they feel alleviated of the constant pressure that society is imposing on them, for the simply fact of being a “woman.” 

These authors have been holding their thoughts for so long, that now  they feel freedom has been relieved through each word. This causes the reader to engage on a personal level with them, & listen carefully to the message they are trying to convey. 

Based on the two stories Tétiyette & thé Devil, & Cotton Candy; I personally feel I can relate more to Tétiyette’s story. According to the book, this story belongs to the oral tradition of Caribbean funeral tales, except this time is told in creole by a Guadeloupan 17 year old girl. The story talks about a spoiled young lady that lives with her family. One day, a goat decides to visit her. The next day, a pig comes by and knocks on her door. To both offers, Tetiyette replies: “Make Him go away, make him go away, I want nothing to do with him.” The next one to come by is the Devil dressed up on his best attires, in order to charm the young spoiled lady. He came to the house & kindly asked for water, he also asked if he was able to see the young lady. As soon as the young girl looked at him, she found a good-looking gentleman; she couldn’t resist his charm & asked him to came up. As a result, they ended up engaging immediately. 

Her mom suspected there was something up, & she made sure to warn her daughter by suggesting her to stick him with a pin & a handkerchief. She assured: “If blood flows, he’s a human being, but if slime oozes out, he’s a devil. The young lady accepted the challenge,however she was not as happy with the results, so she decided to hide them. She stuck herself with the pin & lied to her mom about it, believing that there will be no punishments from her naive mistakes. Couple of days passed by... until one day, the devil started to eat her up. Desperately she cried out:

-“Oh, Mama! Oh, mama! Bel air drum! 

 The man to whom you married me, Bel air drum!

 It is a terrible devil! Bel air drum!

 He’s eating me up! Bel air drum!”

 No response was received, so she cried out to her dad. However, both parents decided to stay in bed discussing how they had already warned her before. Only her last two toes were not yet devoured by the terrifying devil, when suddenly the brother decided to take action on his hands. He quickly grabbed a sharp knife & slit the devil’s belly. As a result, his sister Tetiyette emerged as a whole. 

This short story has a meaningful value, it teaches us how sometimes as humans we tend to value appearances more than anything else.  We forget that appearances grow old & decay, however what’s inside the heart stays there forever! This story truly reminded me of "The Little Prince" famous quote: "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye."

Sadly, throughout our lives, we easily forget it just as Tetiyette did! She also became too blind by her flesh desires. She wanted a young looking guy so she decided to close her ears to the wise warnings of her mother. Her mother kindly warned her because she wanted the best for her, however she did not seem to care at all. She deliberately lied to her mom, expecting that her lie was never going to be found out. How much Tetiyette could have prevented of happening if only she had heard her mom advice. 

As you can see, the anonymous author is trying to remind us to not turn away our ears to our parents. They have lived more than us, consequently they have more experience and they know what is right & wrong. As everyone else, they still have mistakes, but hearing their advice won't hurt you. Don't be so disrespectful to them and at least consider their words. You wouldn't want to see yourself in Tetiyette's shoes. Just remember, listen wisely & pay attention to what is inside, even salt looks like sugar. 

Works cited.

Esteves,Carmen C., and Lizabeth Paravisini-Gebert. Green Cane and Juicy Flotsam: Short stories by Caribbean Women. Rutgers University Press, 1991.