Introduction
Saint-Pierre is a port city located on the island of Martinique in the West Indies. The city of Saint-Pierre was founded by French settlers in 1635 (“Saint-Pierre”). Its main export is sugar. As of 2004, the estimated population is 4,544. Saint-Pierre serves as an important port city on the island of Martinique. In the novel Texaco, events that occurred in the city led to the abolition of slavery on the island. The city stood proud until the majority of it was destroyed by Mount Pelée in 1902. Saint-Pierre is currently standing proud after it was rebuilt to all of its glory.
Characteristics
A significant portion of the novel Texaco, by Patrick Chamoiseau, takes place in and around the city of Saint-Pierre, Martinique. The freed enslaved persons viewed the city as a wonderous place where they could seek new opportunities. An excerpt from the novel states the following about the city: “City on the other hand was open to the winds of the world. A place for new flights” (Chamoiseau 66). The excerpt further demonstrates how the freed enslaved persons view Saint-Pierre in such prestige and awe. To them, the city is a symbol of independence and a place to begin a new life as free men and women.
Saint-Pierre was full of citizens and tourists from all over the world and from all walks of life, “There you meet the Dutch, Portuguese, Espanish, or English sailors, titillated travelers, learned abbots here to write chronicles, servicemen, whites from France, new products, wines, new machines, harmless ideas” (Chamoiseau 66-67). This excerpt from the novel further reinforces the notion made that Saint-Pierre is a diverse place teeming with opportunity. The city had something to offer to anyone willing to pursue their dreams, “Saint-Pierre was a beautiful horizon for those who knew how to do it but also for those without talent. She offered herself to anyone who tried to dream life rather than live it, who stayed cool instead of sweating” (Chamoiseau 67). Saint-Pierre is a wonderful yet daunting place, especially for people who spent their entire previous life enslaved. This can be compared to how the former enslaved persons of Martinique viewed the city of Saint-Pierre in a similar manner to how immigrants of the United States view New York and other major US cities. That being both cities are diverse, full of opportunity for everyone, and a place for new beginnings.
Esternome’s Life
Esternome’s life in Saint-Pierre was different from his life on the plantation, but he always remembered where he started. He was able to see that Saint-Pierre offered him many opportunities, “He understood that here the misery of the great plantations ended” (Chamoiseau 75). He found work in the city and allowed himself to help with the expansion of it. He helped the land slaves when they came into the city on Sundays and brought news and rumors to them describing that the city had everything for them (Chamoiseau 81, 90-91).
Although Esternome’s life in Saint-Pierre began with freedom and opportunity, eventually it led to destruction and heartbreak, sending him on his way to Fort-de-France where he missed his days in Saint-Pierre. Esternome thought that Saint-Pierre offered him total freedom, but “Freedom is to be taken and not to be offered–not ever to be given” (Chamoiseau 97). This resulted in an invasion in the city, directed by the General, involving wars and fires which created chaos. Esternome’s world came crumbling down as the eruption of Mount Pelée took his beloved Saint-Pierre away from him.
Emancipation
Saint-Pierre played a major role in Martinique’s history, events that took place in the city led to the abolition of slavery on the island. In 1848, rumors had begun to spread that slavery was going to be abolished, therefore a crowd of formerly enslaved persons marched in the jail with intentions to free the enslaved people there. However, the conflict escalated to a boiling point when additional servicemen showed up to control the situation. “Oblivious of patience, the latter fired ba ba boom at the first stone thrown at them,” resulting in total chaos as people were fleeing the carnage (Chamoiseau 99). There was one tragic night in the city that became especially dangerous when shots were fired and blood was spilled. Eventually the situation calmed down and “They slept there for a long time, sleeping through that piece of history, for, sill under the deaf fear of reprisals, the governor came from Fort-de-France to let all know that the freedom desired was, without further ado, decreed” (Chamoiseau 100). The escalation of the conflict into a riot forced the governor of Martinique’s hand and he decreed the emancipation of all the enslaved people on the island.
Destruction by Mount Pelée
Tragically, most of Saint-Pierre was destroyed when the volcano known as Mount Pelée erupted. This eruption occurred on May 8th, 1902 and killed over 29,000 people. Additionally, this volcanic event was the deadliest volcanic eruption of the 20th century (Gueugneau). The ash-cloud and released volcanic matter had a total volume of approximately 32 million cubic meters (Gueugneau). The amount of matter released by Mount Pelée is truly astonishing and a clear indication of the severity of this eruption.
In the novel Texaco, the eruption of Mount Pelée left the city of Saint-Pierre in a panic as everyone tried to flee: “One morning a huge bang blogodooom shook him into consciousness,” as Esternome awoke from the eruption he learned of the tragedy to come (Chamoiseau 147). Esternome explains to Marie-Sophie that he did not want to describe what he had seen on this horrible day, “He covered it with the same stubborn silence he had kept his whole life concerning the old days in chains” (Chamoiseau 149). This was due to Esternome having a multitude of love for Saint-Pierre that he did not want to look back on this tragic moment, but he instead wanted to look back at the good memories in the city. People began to flee after the eruption, “The mists would choke each other. There were rains and pieces of sun. The white horror spread beneath a clear sky. Boats crowded the harbor” (Chamoiseau 152). Saint-Pierre went from being a beautiful city to a tragedy after the destruction of Mount Pelée. The destruction of Mount Pelée requires Esternome to pick up his life and move once again after settling into Saint-Pierre.
Works Cited
Chamoiseau, Patrick. Texaco. Trans. Rose-Myriam Réjouis & Val Vinokurov. NY: Vintage, 1997.
Gueugneau, Valentin, et al. “Dynamics and Impacts of the May 8th, 1902 Pyroclastic Current at Mount Pelée (Martinique): New Insights From Numerical Modeling.” Frontiers in Earth Science (Lausanne), vol. 8, Frontiers Media, 2020, https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2020.00279.
“Saint-Pierre.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/place/Saint-Pierre-Martinique.
Editorial Collective
Connor Mayall, Nicholas Shaheen, Matthew Stedelin
