Sab and the Transcendence of the Soul
“It can be that at times the soul is free and noble though the body be enslaved and base” (30). -Sab
I enjoyed Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda y Arteaga’s Sab more than I though I might. I thought the similarities between Sab and Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, written a decade later, were interesting, specifically the way in which the main African slave characters were sacrificed, or rather in each case offered themselves up as sacrifices, in a society that could not appreciate their souls.
A theme I saw repeated was the idea of transcendence of the soul over the body. For Sab this is a crucial concept because he realizes that he will never be able to express his earthly/material love for Carlota, but he dreams of uniting with her in a heavenly realm when his soul leaves his body in pursuit of his angel. In Sab’s dying lines we read his expression that “I no longer live…yet I still love” (147). In many of Sab’s quotes there is the romantic idea of “self” – that is a part of a human (ei: the soul, love, etc.) which though contained in a body, can transcend it and therefore is the more important part of our being.
I thought Carlota’s dream of living in Cuba, amongst the innocent nature of Pre-Columbian times, was interesting and perhaps comparable to our discussion on Candide. Candide experienced type’s of gardens and of course the best one, El Dorado, did not satisfy him because of his ambition. In Carlota’s desire there is a longing for a utopia, a type of Garden of Eden, but it was just a dream and the reality she had to live out was anything but utopian.
Overall I thought the work was well constructed, humane, and touching.
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Very interesting insight into the interpretation of the “soul.” Even when Sab was told over and over again that he was to be given his freedom, he could never really accept that reality in his mind. His soul was the last and only refuge where any kind of personal freedom could survive.
I was also captivated by Avellaneda’s focus on the value of the human soul. The idea that Sab could be reunited with Carlota’s soul after death reminded me that Petrarch also hoped to find Laura after death, but was uncertain as to whether it were possible. The connection you made to Candide was also interesting because it seems that the characters are always hoping for a better life and a better world, a sort of “utopia”. Avellaneda’s novel promotes change and I have no doubt that many readers that came before us were positively influenced by her powerful words as we are today.
Sab goes well with Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Interesting to read those novels side by side.