Of Love and Other Demons
“Benedictus qui venit in nominee veritatis.” Blessed is he who comes in the name of truth Abrenuncio de Sa Pereira Cao declared. Truth is the common thread that ties this story of trial together. The truth that is being sought after is the truth of the Church and the truth of God. To some, these two truths are not one and the same, and to others there can be no separation. The main belief system of this South American seaport is Catholicism. Virtually every person is catholic, and if they are not, they are ostracized from society. The Church and State directly influence each other. Catholicism is the dominating authority in cases affecting individuals and society. One example of this is the influence of the Bishop in the community. When the Bishop heard about the “scandal” surrounding Sierva Marìa’s “vicissitudes” he took the liberty of seeing to it the she be put into a convent where she could be “cured” of her demonic disease. The Bishop was certain that the ailment of Sierva Marìa was not rabies, but in fact, demon possession. It is a curious thing that even though other medical signs, such as the infected bite, were prominent, the Bishop did not consider the medical side of the illness. Whether . . .
This is another attempt at luring the reader to think about the concept of truth. or not she did indeed have rabies or not is not the issue at hand, but the fact that there was no room for other causes except that of demon possession. Take for example Abernuncio’s belief in God. This is an important factor when considering the faith of the Bishop who represents the church. The entire society is in as sense “intimidated” by the Holy Office. Although she is a “woman of faith” she acts venomously towards the young girl taunting her with religious jest, and labeling her as a demon. It was only Martina who could calm the girl when she went into her “demonic” fits, and it was only the girl who Martina confided in when she fled the convent. Everything was spiritualized and attributed to some sin or demonic scandal. The novel is more than a tragic love story; it communicates an entire underlying theme of truth, and the search for this truth. Society easily turns on anyone if anything can be attributed to sin. Truth, in the eyes of the community, is seen through catholic eyes. The Bishop himself lost faith in God and is only in the religious profession because he fears being rejected by society because of lack in faith, yet he is the religious leader in society. Lastly, Martina Laborde, although a more minor character, showed Sierva Marìa true Christian compassion. He does attribute everything to religious subjectivity, but rather looks at it through a logical and pragmatic eyeglass.
Common topics in this essay:
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