Controversial Corner: Ishmael Reed’s Attack on Western Society
Mumbo Jumbo. A novel hyped up to be one of the most confusing books that we’ll ever read. Whether it was the writing style or just in general, the hard-to-follow plot line, Mumbo Jumbo, seemed to confuse a lot of us. But honestly, in the end, I really enjoyed it. I thought that it was one of the most controversial books that I have read in a long time, especially regarding Ishmael Reed’s critiques on Western society and culture, and taking a COMPLETELY radical view, as some might say. Reed argues that Western society is hyper-Eurocentric and closely tied to Christianity, and it’s all corrupted, with its supposed goal to stamp out Black culture in order for its Eurocentric roots to remain in power; but Reed suggests that Black culture is what society should be centered around, for true happiness and authenticity.
To begin with, Reed uses the Atonists and the Wallflower order as a way to portray corruption in Western society. Reed defines the Atonists in an ellipsis: “The Atonists got rid of their spirit 1000s of years ago with Him. The flesh is next. Plastic will soon prevail over flesh and bones. Death will have taken over. Why is it Death you like? Because then no 1 will keep you up all night with that racket dancing and singing. The next morning you can get up and build, drill, progress putting up skyscrapers and…and….and…working and stuff. You know? Keeping busy” (Pistelli). The Atonist movement was founded years ago by the ancient figure Set, dedicated towards worshiping Aton (the sun’s flaming disc) and attempting to rid the world of dancing and singing for a ‘better and more efficient’ world that is controlled.
The Wallflower Order is a secret society of white elites that descended from the Knights Templar, a group of knights whose goal was to protect the Holy Lands and their people. They can be viewed as a modern parallel to the Atonists, with a goal of suppressing Jes Grew, which threatens their orderly and very Eurocentric world. They mainly act through the media to attack Jes Grew in an attempt to stay in power. In a meeting with the leaders of the Wallflower Order, Hinkle Von Vampton, basically the supervillain, and thousand-year-old newspaper editor claims to have access to ‘The Text,’ the mythical document that supposedly can be used to make Jes Grew thrive or fail. During the meeting, the leaders are begging him for the text, and use Christian ideas to make him hand over the text. “Hinkle, we can make a deal. The Text. Please, think of the Cross, the Virgin” (Reed, 68). To dive into this a little deeper, this quote clearly shows that the order is closely tied to Christianity and is an excuse for ridding the world of Jes Grew. And not only this, but it also completely asserts that Christianity and a Eurocentric society are portrayed as going hand in hand.
Reed also shows the corruption of the Order through the media and its suppression. In a wild act to get the attention of the leaders of the Order, Hinkle posts the headline “VooDoo Generals Surround Marines at Port-au-Prince.” “Look Hinkle, I don’t want to argue with you. We have our orders about this Haiti thing. Americans will not tolerate wars that can’t be explained in simple terms of economics or the White man’s destiny. Your headline has done considerable damage” (Reed 58). The Atonist-controlled newspaper, the New York Sun, is dedicated to boosting and glorifying Western culture while demeaning Black culture. This particular section of text solidifies our understanding of what the media wants and what it supports. It reveals that the elite-dominated media censors anything that doesn’t support their viewpoint. It also aims to lower Black culture with an Atonist critic describing an African painting as “‘Primitive,’ at best ‘charming’ and ‘mostly propagandistic’” (Reed 57). And the media continues to act this way today. Society is still quite Eurocentric, with news sources like Fox News completely resembling Atonist newspapers.
So if the media is controlled by corrupt Atonist elites, what does Reed think has to happen? What is his ideal society, and how do we get there? Papa LaBas is a prime example of Reed's ideals. LaBas is a HooDoo detective in the novel whose goal is to locate the text in order to support Jes Grew. With HooDoo originating from Haitian roots and ending up in America through slavery, LaBas is closely tied to the spirits of this practice and believes that Jes Grew is life. Black culture has been suppressed, and arguably will always be. “We will miss it for a while but it will come back, and when it returns we will see that it never left” (Reed 204). I think what Reed is trying to say is that black culture is what truly leads to happiness, but the media and world will tell you otherwise. He believes that people need to be educated about Jes Grew; they should catch it so that they can dance and be happy. For that to happen, he also believes that big events need to take place.
With LaBas confronting Hinkle (the two most important characters in the story), Reed is making the point that believers and supporters of Jes Grew need to step up and make things happen so that black culture can be revealed to the masses; that the corrupt leaders of the media need to be confronted and taken down. One key moment that symbolizes the broken corruption of the media is when LaBas wipes off the blackface from the talking android “This is the meaning, LaBas replies, walking over to Hubert “Safecracker” Gould and grazing a quick finger across his face, leaving a white streak. He then displays the black paint on his finger to the audience” (Reed 160). Reed is showing that the corrupt media will do anything to reduce black culture. But that brings up the question of why? Why would they do all of this stuff if they have been in power for thousands of years? And the answer is simple. Times are changing, black culture is becoming more and more prominent, and they are panicking.
In the end, I think Reed’s novel is very revealing of our corrupt Eurocentric society, but he also shows how black culture is rising. Elites need to be confronted and taken down. But Jes Grew needs to be documented, written down so that it can thrive; that is the point of The Text. But he also claims that the Atonists will do anything to suppress black culture. At the end of the day, Reed believes that Jes Grew is life, and we all need to find it.
Work Cited:
Pistelli, John. “Ishmael Reed, Mumbo Jumbo.” John Pistelli, 7 May 2018.
Reed, Ishmael. Mumbo Jumbo. Scribner, 1972.
This is a cool interpretation fo the central story of Mumbo Jumbo, with a heartfelt and well-thought-out conclusion. You specifically highlight the lines "the Atonists got rid of their spirit 1000s of years ago with Him." When I first read this in the book, I was unsure what it meant; my best guess was that it was a reference to the Christian God or to Jesus. Now that I've read the book, I hypothesize that it is reference to Set killing Osiris or to Moses reading the Book, but I'm not sure which. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you think the book had a generally optimistic outlook; with the resurgence of Black culture and the rise of Jes' Grew. It makes me wonder how Mumbo Jumbo would or wouldn't be a different book if Ishmael Reed had written it today, especially with the current state of politics.
Hi Mateo, I also really liked this interpretation to the story of Mumbo Jumbo. You did a wonderful job detailing how Reed relates the Atonists and the Wallflower Order to Christianity and Eurocentrism. I also liked how you related Reed's description of the media to contemporary sources which I feel like is a very important aspect.
ReplyDeleteI also found really interesting how you emphasized that tension between suppression and revival, and I think you nailed Reed's larger message that joy, culture, and spiritual freedom always manage to resurface. Nice work!
I've always been especially struck by the dramatic forward-looking ending of the novel, when Reed has LaBas "predict" the "future generation of artists" who will create a wholly NEW text for Jes Grew, as if the twentieth-century Black artists to come will play the role of a modern Thoth, recording and disseminating the culture in new and unexpected forms. It helps us see the "need" for avant-garde and "difficult," challenging new art forms to keep emerging--the whole point of art and culture in the Jes Grew context is that it cannot stand still, it has to keep shifting and evolving, going underground and emerging in new, unexpected forms and locations. You take this idea even further at the end of your post, looking at the novel as a kind of "challenge" to its readers, who themselves might be part of that generation of "future artists." The Atonists will not stop trying to suppress and discredit you, and you have to keep pushing your creations in new (and newly infectious?) directions. Because what is "infectious" will change from generation to generation--and we see that, by 1971, Jes Grew has become institutionalized itself, with LaBas delivering his annual lecture to a bunch of college students who are mostly impressed that he's so old. Jazz isn't going to be the thing that inspires THIS generation--at the time the novel is published, Reed isn't sure what it's going to look like, but he sure seems to be anticipating the emergence of hip-hop about five years later . . .
ReplyDeleteYo Mateo! Your interpretation of Reed's views on western culture and America's roots are outstanding! You effectively highlighted the symbolism of those opposing Jes Grew and pointed out the negative ideals that certain characters represent. I definitely agree that the media is one of the main devices western culture is channeled through; Reed was definitely letting us know that. One thing to think about is how the entire book is framed around going against the metanarrative of western culture. From the Mumbo Jumbo title to the breaking of literary conventions. Well done!
ReplyDeleteJust like Reed did, it seems like you're also looking to the future and how Jes Grew might develop then. And you do a good job at it too. Your summary of the story of Mumbo Jumbo as it relates to your argument is clear and accurate, and you weave in more forward-looking elements, both from Reed and yourself, as you go. I also appreciate the comparison between the Atonist newspaper and Fox News; there are clear parallels there. But I actually think I can do you one better. There is a British tabloid LITERALLY CALLED "The Sun," and it is very clear with its sensationalist, right-wing bias. Maybe Reed predicted that too...
ReplyDeleteWhats good in the hood Mati-Her, you did a good job on emphasizing the change in the Atonists and further associating it with Christianity by looking into how they lost all their spirits which gave them the need to assert their dominance across many different cultures. Im feeling a light to decent 9 on this blog
ReplyDeleteHey Mateo! This is a really well constructed blog! I like how you interpret Mumbo Jumbo by highlighting the critique of Western society and the overall importance of black culture. It is really interesting how you tie Antonists, the Wallflower order, and media manipulation to deepen Reed's theme of corruption. Good Job!
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