Zora Neale Hurston was a writer in the early 20th century. Her book Tell My Horse was published in 1938, which described the hands-on experiences in Jamaica and Haiti held two years prior. One of the book’s central discourses is the preservation of the traditional African customs in the era of a New World. Hurston mainly focused on researching voodoo practices. Apart from exploring this tradition, she focuses on black self-rule in the area and beyond. Tell My Horse is concentrating on the overall ability of people to operate and rule on their own. However, since the United States occupied Haiti, the book depicts the struggle of oppression within the communities with distinct cultures, traditions, and values (Hurston, 1938). To critically analyze and learn more about the messages that the author put, it is essential to comprehend the book’s thesis and main arguments.
Summary of Tell My Horse
Tell My Horse is divided into three distinct parts. The first two serve as a context, as they provide information about the history, social conditions, and political situation of Jamaica and Haiti. The main topic of these chapters is the exploration of legacy that slavery had on the region as well as people’s resistance to it. The storyline in Jamaica revolves around the community of the Maroons, who are the descendants of African origin in the region (Hurston, 1938). This group of people settled in the Americas to pursue a life away from slavery. Throughout the author’s visit to the Accompong Maroons, she provides readers with an overview of the Caribbean region by examining the self-rule of black people in the 17th century (Hurston, 1938). This community proves that people in Jamaica are capable of using close to democratic order to rule independently.
Moreover, Haiti’s political background is presented in detail, as the book touches upon the history of the Haitian revolution. The essence of the revolution was that slaves liberated themselves against the colonial rule (Hurston, 1938). In the beginning, the central discourse is about the desire of individuals to be in charge of their territories. This occurs during the hard times of colonization. A local physician describes the terrors that an empire brought to Haiti as “Having been a nation continually disturbed by revolution and other features not helpful to advancement we have not been able to develop economically and culturally as many of us have wished” (Hurston, 1938, p. 207). Thus, the black population of Haiti is still suffering the consequences, as they were brought to the lands of Haiti as slaves while bearing the cruel rule of the French.
Historically, inhabitants had a possible option to break free from the authoritarian rule, although it meant disturbing the region’s social order and stability for a long time. The strict policing emerged later, represents the destruction of a Haitian society due to the empire’s problematic nature. The author finds it particularly important to touch upon it because of a lack of order in Jamaica and Haiti, which was why some individuals justified the United States occupation. Therefore, by providing context for self-rule in the Caribbean region, Hurston helps readers understand the nature of voodoo practices and beyond. Lastly, the third part of the book, which is the longest one, presents Hurston’s findings on voodoo practices in Haiti (Hurston, 1938). Finally, Tell My Horse ends with songs in the Creole language, and they are explained earlier throughout the chapters.
Critical Analysis
The book Tell My Horse, despite being a product of field research, is not only a piece of scholarly analysis. The writing does not merely evolve around dry descriptions of the traditions because Zora Neale Hurston’s methodology was to experience the lives of the black population in the Caribbean. The author’s primary goal was to understand the significance of voodoo on the creation of the Black church in Jamaica and Haiti. Her compelling writing style is presented through personal involvement in the voodoo-practicing society, which overall contributes to the comprehension of these people’s culture and traditions.
One of the main challenges encountered during reading was detaching from the idea of voodoo that the popular media had established. Such practices are usually connected to using dolls for curses, which overall leads to developing negative connotations. Therefore, before contemporary readers start to read this book, the popular culture’s biases stigmatize the topic for them. Thus, it is rather challenging not to assume anything positive or negative before reading. However, the book offers a broader definition of voodooism by describing the Gods and history of the movement. The author could not have been aware of the prejudices of the modern-day readers after over 70 years since the book was written; therefore, it is merely a matter of perception. People tend to be hostile towards something they have not seen before; thus, reading about the religious practice that was not common was fascinating yet challenging.
Moreover, the foreword section made an accent that the book is focused on the explanation of the rituals. However, after reading the book, the primary focus tends to be the history of colonization, political background, and socio-economic aspects of the Caribbean region. While learning more about the context of voodoo in the area is useful, understanding the main focus of Tell My Horse ended up being somewhat challenging. The author decided to dedicate two out of three chapters to explore the Haitian and Jamaican past; the book’s primary subject of interest got lost among the other information.
Another challenging aspect of reading the book was the lack of coherency and structure. Tell My Horse gave an impression of detached, at times, anthropological observations. Such an effect occurs due to lack of a general introduction, transitions between the chapters, and conclusion. Therefore, readers cannot be sure where the book is going to lead them, as well as lack of reflections by the author about the information that she wrote. Moreover, the book lacks an explanation of specific voodoo vocabulary that is unfamiliar to the general public, making the material more challenging. Therefore, the lack of structure and glossary to the book makes it harder to comprehend.
Zora Neale Hurston, while documenting strange customs of voodoo followers, remains as neutral as possible in regards to the tradition. After finishing reading, one cannot fully understand the opinion of the author towards people involved in the rituals. Hurston describes Haitian people as “gentle and lovable except for their enormous and unconscious cruelty” (Hurston, 1938, p. 82). She touches upon this subject with respect, yet still being direct about her findings. Hurston has no uncertainty while describing her observations, which attributes her self-confidence as an authentic presenter of Caribbean history and culture. This is especially valuable because when Hurston arrived in Jamaica and Haiti, the recent memory of the United States’ intervention remained strong among the locals with whom she communicated. For Haitians, this was a potent reminder of the abandoned and betrayed revolution from the past thorough the occupation. Therefore, the blame that the author and the locals have is justified due to the manipulation by the foreigners and the poor performance of the Haitian authorities to implement a democratic rule in the region.
What is more, Zora Neale Hurston compares the upper class of the Haitian society to the African American “Race leaders” in the early 20th century. She suggests that unlike in Haiti, the leaders in the American black community are not merely discussing the potential changes in the society but are acting on implementing them. This comparison was especially powerful; as it gives readers an idea, that situation in the area could have been different. The ruling elite of both nations ignored reform, ending any chance of a different outcome. However, the voodoo traditions are considered a part of the oppositionist culture, represented through the deeply rooted traditions. The traditional practices of voodoo empowered many political leaders of the region.
Another aspect to consider is in chapter thirteen where Hurston is introducing the definition of zombies. They are described as the “bodies without souls” (Hurston, 1938, p. 179). This concept represents the region’s political agenda, as the spiritual leaders of voodooism turn people into followers instead of future leaders. Therefore, describing the revolution that has failed and never turned into a functioning democracy. However, the author informs readers about the resistance that exists again in this practice, implying the fighting spirit of influential Haitian people towards unlawful leaders (Hurston, 1938). The understanding of this gives hope to the readers about the future faith of the local societies. Overall, besides being controversial, voodoo has influenced the region to a great extent, as communities, political contributors, and the elite were subjected to this tradition.
Conclusion
Zora Neale Hurston’s book Tell My Horse is an example of fascinating literature that describes, explains, and preserves black communities in Haiti and Jamaica. The book is filled with first-hand experiences that the author had in the local communities that practice traditional voodoo. The purpose of Tell My Horse appears to be more than merely documenting the extraordinary practices but rather to show the history of the region and the more profound philosophy behind the rituals. In three chapters, Hurston is describing the tragic tale of the black population that was brought into the area as slaves. The traumatic experiences led to the brave revolution; however, the self-rule did not remain for long as the elites of the Caribbean region decided not to take action and engaged in authoritarian practices.
Moreover, the author is examining the relationships that voodoo traditions have with Catholicism and its history in the area. Furthermore, the symbolism that some of the voodoo religion has to the Jamaican and Haitian society’s realities is particularly impressive after learning more about the history of slavery and resistance. Although reading the book was challenging at times, Hurston’s field experiment methodology helps to learn more about the struggles of voodoo religion followers, as readers can explore the author’s first-hand experiences.
References
Hurston, Z. N. (1938). Tell my Horse: Voodoo and life in Haiti and Jamaica. New York: Harper Perennial.