INTRODUCTION
Texaco, written by Patrick Chamosieau, provides a tale concerning the culture and life of people in Martinique, through the storytelling of fictional character Marie Sophie. One of the several ways the story is foretold is through the use of Biblical references. Although, there are multiple lenses that can be placed on this novel. This article will concern how these references are used within Texaco specifically the overall structure of the text, descriptions of evil, sin and idealism.
STRUCTURE
When performing an overview of the layout and section names of Texaco, each section provides reference to the Bible. There are multiple excerpts from Marie-Sophie’s journal found within the novel which is notable to the red text found in the Bible when Jesus spoke in parables or of His own testimony. Although the excerpts are distinguished in different ways, each author makes note to distinguish these texts from the body of the book. Concerning the reasoning for Marie-Sophie’s excerpts to be set apart in this way, could be due to herself being a savior for Texaco. She shared her testimony with others in the town, many who were a part of the testimony and the experiences within her own family aided in the building of Texaco. In this way, Marie-Sophie is sharing her own message or gospel as Jesus did. Since Marie-Sophie was such an impactful character within the town of Texaco, it makes sense to have her writings set apart.
Texaco opens to “The Annunciation,” when the urban planner, who is referenced as Christ, comes to the settlement of Texaco. In the Bible, the Annunciation describes the angels telling Mary of Jesus’ resurrection. To seek further knowledge on this subject, see Luke 1:26-38 (Coogan). At the beginning of the New Testament in the Bible, the gospels: Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John approach the stories of Jesus from differing perspectives. There are multiple different sightings of “the Christ” in Texaco, similar to the gospels, documented encounters of the planner with differing people in the town of Texaco.
There is a segment of the text within Texaco titled “The Sermon of Marie Sophie.” While a majority of the population may think of a sermon as a teaching from a pastor or priest, two of Jesus’s most famous teachings are referenced as sermons. “The Sermon On the Mount”, see Matthew 5-7, and “The Sermon On the Plain”, see Luke 6:20-49, are ethical and moral teachings from Jesus Christ to His disciples and followers (Coogan).
The final section Texaco is titled “The Resurrection” which can be directly referred to as Jesus rising from the dead and his ascension to heaven. Similarly, within this section, author Chamosieau fondly remembers Marie-Sophie. Although Texaco is fictional, if Chamosieau’s alter ego had not met Marie-Sophie and written her story, these experiences would have died with her and her family. Coinciding with Jesus Christ’s resurrection, the tales told by Marie-Sophie and her family’s lives brings resurrection, amplification, and truth. By the record of experiences of Marie Sophie’s story allows the gain of new life through her stories getting passed on to the people that choose to read the parables of her life.
SIN, EVIL, AND REVELATION
Throughout the novel, ideas of evil and sin are described using references to the Bible. Often these topics are tied to the békés, or owners of enslaved persons, and later, the factories they ran. For example, Esternome describes the factories within the town, “Oh, the Factory gasped like a seven-headed Beast” (Chamoiseau 140). Within the book Revelation of the Bible, the word transcribes that there will be a beast that challenges Jesus in the end times and The Battle of Armageddon (Coogan). The beast, who is seven-headed, will be called the Antichrist. However, in Daniel 7, four beasts are described (Coogan). When their features combined, they are identical to the Antichrist. Within the book of Daniel in the Bible, these beasts are interpreted as the evil empires and kings on Earth who commit sin instead of following God’s will. When comparing these factors to the factories and békes described in Texaco, they could be interpreted as the Antichrist. For they commit sin and hold power over enslaved persons, stealing their freedom and committing sin against God.
IDEALISM
After the enslaved persons become free, many of the people, including Marie-Sophie’s father Esternome, flee to the idealistic hills to build their own lives (Texaco). The village in the hills becomes a fantasy, separated from the rest of the world, to live free of the destruction and desolation brought by slavery. This coincides to the Garden of Eden in Genesis of the Bible (Coogan). The Garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve coexist before they commit the first sin, is a place of idealism. It is separated from the outside world, with ample amounts of everything they could ever need. Adam and Eve experienced spiritual harmony and walked alongside God. Escaping the bondage of slavery, experiencing freedom, creating an idealistic world on the terms of Esternome and other enslaved persons relates to this idea of idealism within the Bible.
AFRICAN RELIGION
When reading Caribbean history, it is important to be knowledgeable about the blending of African religions with Christianity. For example, enslaved persons within Jamaica would adopt Catholic saints names, similar to their African Orishas, as a cover to continue their religious worship (Rodriguez). Over time, these religions became blended together into new religions that are unique to the Creole culture. Within Texaco, we see the influence of figures called Mentohs, which are related to healing and wisdom. This same concept of a Mentoh is commonly attached to voodoo belief systems. In Africa, there are specific persons that use voodoo to show healing abilities to both the body and mental health patterns (Gustafson). There is not an established name for these figures within voodoo practices, although, those performing the healing are often the appointed leaders to perform or lead seances. Voodoo is also a strong religious practice shown within the text of Texaco which is often referenced as witchcraft within the Christian faith (Pierre). Therefore, as readers, we must recognize that the presence of African religions may have an effect on the biblical references used, which only a native of Martinique could interpret.
Works Cited
Bernstein, Richard. “History and Race Seasoned by Magic and Reality in an Epic of Martinique.” The New York Times (1997).
Chamoiseau, Patrick. Texaco. Trans. Rose-Myriam Réjouis & Val Vinokurov. NY: Vintage, 1997.
Coogan, Michael D. The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha_ New Revised Standard Version. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.
Gustafson, Marilyne B. “Western voodoo: Providing mental health care to Haitian refugees.” Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services 27.12 (1989): 22-25.
Knepper, Wendy. Patrick Chamoiseau: A Critical Introduction. Univ. Press of Mississippi, 2012.
Pierre, Roland. “Caribbean religion: The voodoo case.” Sociological Analysis 38.1 (1977): 25-36.
Rodriguez, Omar. Afrocuban Religion and Syncretism with the Catholic Religion. n.d. 25 04 2022.
Editorial Collective
Mickenzie Bass, Hope Chulka, Dominique Obispo, Allison Rieser, LaRae Bigard, Anyah Lyons, Baillie Rabideau
