Juan Reyes the Albino
In the July 25th chapter in House Made of Dawn, at the feast of Santiago, Juan Reyes the Albino man is introduced. On page 39 in the yellow book he is described: " Then he faced her, and Angela saw that under his hat the pale and yellow hair was cut close to the scalp; the tight skin of the head was visible and pale and pink. The face was huge and mottled pink and white, and the thick open lips were blue and violet." Angela seems to be describing Juan as a type of beast or monster. Later on in this chapter as Father Olguin reads from an old journal, the priest who wrote in the journal reports he was at Juan's birth and he describes him in almost the way Angela described him and then orders Juan to be baptised right away as if he was some sort of devil figure who immediately needed to be purified.
What do you think the significance of Juan is in this chapter? Does he represent the inability of the whites and the Christian faith to except differences? Do you think Juan will be present in the rest of the story?
5 comments:
Juan is used to describe the tension between those of different races. He is shown as being an outside that no one will except. Juan might be used again to represent the same racial tension among people.
Everyone naturally has a hard time to accept differences. We naturally fear those different from us because at some point on the African plains, things that looked different from you were trying to kill you. As far as Christianity, it has always been intolerant of others. Throughout all of its history it has tried to destroy or convert those in it's opposition.
I feel that the treatment of Juan goes beyond the Christian faith. People, no matter their religious affiliations, have trouble accepting those that are different or who go against the norm. I feel that Juan represents the inability of society to accept those who are different, and not just the Christian faith.
Juan may also be a parallel to Abel in the way that he does not blend into either culture. Although he seems very skilled in the rituals performed, Juan's appearance never allows him to be completely accepted in the community. He may have been baptised immediately in an attempt to offset the differernces. Although the reason is not yet made clear in the first section of the book, Abel killing Juan may symbolized how he is trying to reject and rid himself of his differences in the community.
I think that Juan is used to describe race tension, but also that he represents the view of an outsider looking in and how that is looked upon.
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