Week #1 Reflection

With this being the first week of classes I thought there would initially not be a lot of information for us to reflect on. However after our discussion in class today, there are several topics I’d like to discuss in this post. Focusing on the theme of immortality from the novel, I feel like we were able to really get into a lively debate over vengeful actions and the moral repercussions of them. After breaking out into smaller groups, I feel that we were better able to discuss Awiti’s actions and how they could be perceived differently based on your ethnic background. With her representing a cumulative history of trauma within the African American community, Awiti’s actions could be seen as justice while from another perspective they could be seen as morally wrong. 

In her attempts to rectify the injustices that African Americans have faced Awiti initially acts as a beacon of hope but as the book continues she becomes a radical figure who acts as judge and jury and executioner. Awiti begins to actively serve as a warning to humanity that seeking justice can often lead to blurred lines and the inability to perceive the good from the bad. Immortality in the novel serves to explain Awiti’s inability to let go of centuries of pain and hatred, as she has seen no real progress in the treatment of African Americans in society. Slavery might have been abolished, but it was quickly replaced with segregation, Jim Crow laws, and sharecropping which all ensured the mistreatment and oppressed status of those who had been freed. In our small group we discussed that continuing this inability to let go, Awiti never felt remorse for those innocently harmed in the wake of her destruction. We talked deeply about this transformation and the actions that we found went past the original intent of moral justice, especially in the case of the murder of the Mountaudoin children. This blurred sense of morality continued in the last chapter as Baby Obeah reminds Awiti of the damage she will cause to the African American community or her “people”  if she comes to New Orleans. Those that she actually wishes to punish (white faces) would not actively be punished because they didn’t live in areas such as the 9th ward. Awiti’s final actions in the book showcase a complete disregard for the well being of her “people” as a way for her to complete her agenda. Awiti’s actions can be seen in that of political figureheads and how deeply they can destroy lives for the sake of a singular policy or for that of an entire administration. A lot of Awiti’s actions can be related to real-life situations in which retribution or justice is dealt with at the cost of innocent lives.