Triggering the Atonists
Mumbo Jumbo. A phrase we have all heard throughout our lives to describe gibberish, nonsense, and the ridiculous. As a extremely stigmatized term, I wonder: why would Ishmael Reed use it to name his novel? In fact, for someone who seems to be trying to destigmatize a lot of the things in his book, why would he seemingly make his novel so much more confusing for readers who have probably never heard these terms before?
I think the answer has been right in front of us the whole time: he's trying to weed out the atonists. Now, hear me out. In the context of the novel, a possible explanation is that the atonists are purposefully trying to delegitimize the book by adding in typos, making it seem more confusing, etc. But let's take it outside of that context for a second. What is Reed's actual reason for making everything so confusing? I think it's to both weed out and anger the atonists, the enemy. What would be an atonists worst nightmare? A novel with exactly the same themes as Mumbo Jumbo, that doesn't even put an effort into explaining most of its terms and that has an intricately complicated storyline. Reading the novel requires a great deal of effort, and if you put in that effort, it's very entertaining and captivating. But to someone who doesn't want to put in that effort, it's pretty much impossible, and would definitely be a deterrent and angering.
I don't know if what I said makes sense, but I'll just provide an example. In class, we discussed several examples of real-life "atonists" and their criticisms of black culture. In the Super Bowl example, we talked about how the Fox News anchors were somehow both so confused about what was going on but at the same time angered by it, and I think it seres as a perfect example of what Reed is trying to do. He's triggering the atonists without them even noticing, and when looked through that lens, the confusing nature of the novel is 100% worth it.
Great work! What you said about Mumbo Jumbo and Reed's purpose in this book with all the crazy storylines definitely made sense. I like how you bring back the class discussions about Fox News and such, and that this is a great example of how Jes Grew messes with these 'atonists.'
ReplyDeleteI had not thought of Mumbo Jumbo in the way you share, but after reading your post, it certainly makes sense. Reed wrote this book in a convoluted way to call out the "Atonist readers" who will find problems with the book. I also think the parallel you draw between the "Atonist readers" and the Fox News clip is compelling. Great work!
ReplyDeleteI think Atonists have also been shown to be "protectors" of culture, and dislike anything new. To me, it seems like Mumbo Jumbo is a rather unique novel, so it is in a sense radical. For that reason, Atonists would probably be opposed to this book, like you say. Perhaps your idea that Atonists don't understand the novel stems from the fact that it is simply different and is something they cannot wrap their heads around.
ReplyDeleteI love this idea--at the most basic level, he's writing the kind of book that he *knows* will be shunned and marginalized by Atonists as a bunch of paranoid crazy talk, "mumbo jumbo"--even as one of the epigraphs to the novel itself reminds us that this phrase can mean very different things in different cultural and linguistic contexts. It's as if he *dares* a reader to dismiss his thesis as "mumbo jumbo"--to ignore its reality at their own peril. We see this same kind of thing when LaBas ironically names his organization "The Mumbo Jumbo Kathedral," reappropriating the way people used to make fun of it by claiming (and redefining) "mumbo jumbo". Its power comes from being "mistaken for entertainment" when in fact it is something much deeper.
ReplyDeleteI like this theory a lot. I think the typos are funny as a symbol of the atonists' frustrated attempts to censor him and make him seem incoherent but the book does that itself already. It is the perfect way to circumvent their methods of suppressing information.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very compelling theory. The typos and strange formatting of the book along with seemingly random pictures does make it a strange book to take seriously. It also, as you pointed out, is very confusing so understanding the themes or even wanting to read the book is quite hard, which would weed out even more people.
ReplyDeleteThis is quite the theory! I like the idea of Ishmael Reed plotting to confuse the Atonists with his obviously unconventional book. I think that not only is he trying to anger them, he's also provoking them. The way he titled it "Mumbo Jumbo" is like a challenge to anyone who criticizes his book for being nothing but gibberish. It's like he's daring any Atonists to attack his book for its content, exposing themselves in the process.
ReplyDeleteInteresting! This theory seems very meta and conspiracy theory-y and therefore perfectly Ishmael Reed. But I wonder whether, were this true, Reed is actually pushing more people down the Atonist path, because (as we discussed in class) the typos, title, etc. seem to discredit his points. Although maybe that risk is worth it if you're also allowing society to tell who among us are Atonists based on their reactions to the novel?
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ReplyDeleteReally cool take. I'm reminded of the dictionary definition of mumbo jumbo included at the end of Chapter 1. The term descended from the Mandingo term for a "magician who makes the troubled spirits of ancestors away." It's astonishing that a word with such origins could carry a negative connotation in English today. From the beginning, Reed suggests that the Atonists have always been at work, misappropriating and suppressing Black culture with far-reaching effects.
ReplyDeleteYour theory that the novel was made to upset Atonists is interesting. I would not have thought of it that way, but in some ways I can see where you're coming from. 'Mumbo Jumbo' is a harder book to read in general, but once you get through it, the reader learns the messages the novel is portraying. One being that black culture is widely appropriated and another is that black art is viewed as a disease that dies once everyone has it.
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