Hidden Religion

Authors Note - This is a response to the novel Power and the Glory and how people, even priests, hide their religious beliefs just to stay safe.

During this section in the novel Power and the Glory the main character, who turns out to be a whiskey priest, along with many other characters, display the fact that taboos exist, and that religion is something to hide. In our world today, we take religion as something to be proud of, something to follow, and something to show your passion through. On contrast, the world in this novel, claims to have no religion, and says that there is no God, or nothing like that to believe in.

When the whiskey priest meets a variety of civilians along his journey of escapism, they all seem to have a little bit of Christianity in them, they are just not willing to expose their religious beliefs. Professing your faith is a crime in Mexico, and is something to hide. The whiskey priest is on the run from officers, and seems as if he is doubting his convictions--something he should follow with passion. With every person he meets, he keeps telling the city people that he isn't worthy of hiding, and even though he gives advice, he denies his authority. "But I am a bad priest, you see." (p.130)

Today, hiding your faith is something that strikes our population as strange, and takes some people by surprise; religion is something to express yourself and your beliefs through. If not religion, they at least follow their convictions, to show that they have a meaningful life, and are living for the present. The whiskey priest, along with other citizens, have convictions, just decide not to pursue them--an act that is unknown in our lives today.

The Moment Never Imagined

Authors Note - The novel, The Bean Trees by Barbra Kingsolver is about a young girl, who changed her name to Taylor, who moved away from her mother and her home to venture on her own, to learn to live, and to learn everything she possibly can. On her journey, she's been gifted a baby from a native woman, for no reason. She doesn't know who the baby is, who the woman is, or where this baby is from. After getting the baby she moves in with another woman, Lou Ann, and her young child, Dwayne Ray. They soon make new friends who are illegal immigrants that seem to be from the same country as Turtle--Taylor's baby--named Estevan and Esperanza. The young couple were forced to move to America, and had their daughter taken away. After being together, it seems as though Turtle should be Esperanza's daughter, but in the novel, she isn't. While reading the story, I wanted Turtle to actually be Estevan and Esperanza's daughter, so I decided to compose an additional scene to the novel The Bean Trees.

The car is packed. Turtle, Estevan, and Esperanza, and I are on our way to figure out our situation. I've been pondering who's daughter Turtle really is and where she came from. I want to know the answer, but I don't want to find that her parents are looking for her, I want her to myself. I don't think I could even think about giving her up, she's helped me through my travels, we've taken each other as family, and she truly means the world to me.

"Alright, is everyone ready? Esteven and Esperanza, stay low and make sure to keep your disguises on. We don't want to get pulled over and questioned. You know how they patrol these areas for illegals." I reminded my passengers.

"Yes, we know. You know how good my accent is!" Estevan exclaimed.

Hours pass and we are back at the gas station where I was gifted Turtle. I can feel my nerves running up and down my spine. It could all end here, if we find her parents. I don't want to give her up, her family was abusive and I don't think she would last a day back in their grubby hands.

Inside I see the old lady, the one who changed my life. As the four of us enter the station, Estevan and Esperanza immediately call out to the old lady, "Mama!"

I turn my head to see what is going on and the three of them are hugging and crying and speaking Spanish. At this moment I don't know what to do other than to stand there holding onto Turtle, probably tighter than she liked. "Wait, you know her?" I questioned Estevan and Esperanza.

"Yes, she's my mother. I cannot believe that she is here. Wait, do you know her too?" Esperanza replied in her accent.

"Uhm, yes. She gave me turtle." I replied weakly, knowing that this trip is ending different than I had imagined.

After my reply, the young Spanish woman turned to her mother asking her who the child was--of course in Spanish. I didn't understand but Estevan translated for me. He said that the old lady said that Turtle--whom she called by another name--was Esperanza's daughter, the one they forced to give up before coming to America.

My knees shake, I drop to the ground, still holding Turtle in my arms, bawling. I never knew that this would happen, that my new friends would end up being the parents to my baby, the one who completes my life.