Hybridization In Haiti

Superficially, the “Kingdom of this World” is a work of historical fiction, detailing the Haitian Revolution from the perspective of an African slave, Ti-Nöel. One of the primary themes in “Kingdom” involves cultural hybridization-- furthermore, the ideal that Haiti was the site of entanglement between the Enlightenment thought of Europe, as well as the religious and cultural practices of the African slaves. There is an issue in using a term like “hybridization,” in that it implies that these two cultures were equally involved in their exchange of culture, and this was clearly not the case. This paper will argue that we should reject the term hybridization when discussing the interplay between European and African culture in “The Kingdom of

She is first introduced to us in Chapter XI, traveling by sea to Haiti. It is during this journey that we are first exposed to her nature as a character, and what her conceptions of her future home are. Based on her journey, it can be insinuated that she was concurrently dominant and idyllic. This is supported by Carpentier’s descriptions of her throughout her expedition. She is first described as “feeling a little like a queen,” as well as becoming “familiar with queenly roles.” (Carpentier, 84) This permits her to leverage her power to do whatever she wishes. Pauline is said to have “held up the departure of a whole army because of a childish whim,” and to be a “connoisseur of male flesh,”—two statements that are representative of her control over men, regardless of their social position. The word “connoisseur” creates an image of Pauline as an ultimate judge of men, which consequently implies a notion of ownership and perceived fungibility of the male body. Though this can be cross-applied later on to Pauline’s interactions with Soliman, this statement is pertinent because it constitutes her status as dominant. Though dominance is typically complemented by aggression, this proves not to be the case with Pauline—and this is a result of her idyllic and romantic behavior. For the most part, this supported by her perception of the natural world around her—describing the ocean as

This claim would be supported by the sentiments Pauline expresses in regards to Soliman: “she was grateful to him for the loving care he lavished on her body.” (Carpentier, 89) The language Carpentier uses when discussing her sentiments towards Soliman, such as “lavished,” insinuate splendor—the idea that to a certain degree, Soliman is doing this at his own will, and that his status as a slave was therefore acceptable because he enjoyed his work. In fact, with this lens, one could cite Soliman’s enjoyment of his work on Pauline’s body as justification for his enslavement. In dissecting the relationship between Soliman and Pauline, it is clear that their relationship is based on a master-slave dynamic. After enlisting the services of Soliman “to care for her body.” Pauline subsequently asserts her fairness and beauty to mentally paralyze Soliman, “grazing his flanks with her body under the water, for she knew that he was continually tortured by desire.” (Carpentier, 89) His incapacitation is a result of Soliman’s understanding of his ‘place’ relative to Pauline—conscious of the consequences that could stem from making advances toward his master, a white woman. She playfully “whip(s) him with a green switch…for the fun of seeing the faces