The Power of Belief Theme Analysis

Gem of the Ocean shows that, in the right circumstances, a strong sense of belief has the power to transform a person’s life. As the community’s “spiritual adviser,” Aunt Ester takes it upon herself to “wash souls,” which is to say that she spiritually cleanses people. However, it’s unclear in the play whether or not the impact she has on people is actually related to her supernatural talents. She says that she’s 285 years old and that she crossed the Atlantic Ocean on one of the first slave ships bound for America—a detail that suggests she is, indeed, capable of supernatural or spiritual wonders, given her unheard of age. At the same time, though, it’s quite possible that her greatest power is actually her ability to give other people a sense of meaning in life, which isn’t necessarily magical or supernatural.

For instance, when Aunt Ester agrees to “wash” Citizen’s soul, she tells him to prepare by finding two pennies lying right next to each other. This assignment sounds mysterious and full of meaning, but after Citizen leaves, Aunt Ester admits to Black Mary that the pennies have no purpose in and of themselves; they don’t have any mystical power. “He think there a power in them two pennies,” she says. “He think when he find them all his trouble will be over. But he need to think that before he can come face to face with himself.” In other words, Aunt Ester recognizes that simply believing in something is, in many cases, all that matters. When Citizen comes back with two pennies, he feels like he has accomplished something and that this accomplishment has prepared him for a meaningful change in his life. In reality, nothing is different except for his outlook. But this change in perspective is deeply transformative, enabling him to wholeheartedly invest himself in the rest of Aunt Ester’s “soul washing” process. Whether or not Aunt Ester has supernatural powers is therefore beside the point, since what really matters is her ability to help people believe in themselves and their capacity to change.