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Prologue
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Ti-Jean and His Brothers, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Pride vs. Humility
Colonialism and Racism
Capitalism and Dehumanization
The Power of Faith
Summary
Analysis
Early morning the next day, Gros Jean rises early and packs up a bundle. His mother is sorry to see him go, but he feels it is time for him to go out and find work. Gros Jean thinks his arm is too strong just to be splitting trees; he has an arm of iron. His mother is quick to correct him, saying, “The arm which digs a grave is the strongest arm of all.” She has parting advice for her eldest son: it is important that when he leaves, he “praise God who make all things” and “ask direction” of the birds and insects. She warns Gros Jean that the Devil can disguise himself as anyone or anything. Gros Jean says he already knows that.
In this passage, Walcott furthers his characterization of Gros Jean as prideful. Because he is strong, he thinks he is too good for the work he currently does, which is splitting logs. It is clear that his ego is responsible for at least part of his motivation for leaving home—he wants to prove that he is capable of greater things. His pride also shines through when he dismisses his mother’s advice. This suggests that he thinks he is above listening to his mother, and that he doesn’t value having faith in God.
Themes
When Gros Jean leaves the house, he soon comes across Frog and some other creatures. In fact, Frog is in his way, so Gros Jean kicks him, saying “Get out of my way, you slimy bastard! How God could make such things?”
An Old Man limps onto the forest path, lifting his robe to scratch his hairy hoof. Gros Jean asks the older man what’s wrong with his foot. But the Old Man responds, “The flesh of the earth is rotting. Worms.” Gros Jean asks him what the “quickest way” is to “what counts in this world.” The Old Man promptly responds that the only things that count in the world are money and power. Gros Jean tells the Old Man that he has an arm of iron but is missing money—and the Old Man says he can’t advise someone without money. This angers Gros Jean, who picks up his axe and threatens to kill the Old Man. “With your arm of iron, the first thing you kill is wisdom?” He says.
In this passage, Gros Jean shows his blind ambition. He himself doesn’t have a clear idea of what “counts” in the world, an inner compass that points him in the direction of what success means to him. Rather, he is concerned with worldly success that will be recognized by others, which again speaks to Gros Jean’s inflated ego. The Old Man easily exploits Gros Jean’s lack of inner values by convincing him to adopt a capitalist value system. What’s more, Gros Jean’s threat to kill the Old Man again reflects his lack of respect for God’s creations.
Themes
Finally, the Old Man resolves to help Gros Jean. He tells him that coming through the forest, he passed “some poor souls going to work for the white planter,” who will “work you like the devil”—but that, it seems, is exactly what Gros Jean wants with his iron arm and his impatience. As parting advice, the Old Man tells Gros Jean, “Remember an iron army may rust, flesh is deciduous.” Gros Jean heads toward the plantation, warning the Old Man, “Next time don’t be so selfish.” As he walks away, the Old Man sings, “Who is the man who can speak to the strong? Where is the fool who can talk to the wise? Men who are dead now have learnt this long, Bitter is wisdom that fails when it tries.”
Here, the Old Man takes advantage of Gros Jean’s impatience and desire to prove himself by sending him to work on the plantation. This moment in the play speaks to the way in which people’s willingness to accept a capitalist value system—in which money and hard work are the most valuable things—leads them to willingly participate in situations that are exploitative. A boss that will “work you like the devil” does not sound appealing at all, and yet, because Gros Jean is obsessed with proving his strength, he is attracted to this type of environment.
Themes
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Meanwhile, Gros Jean, now in another part of the forest, reflects on the two days he’s spent working “for this damn white man.” After leaving the Old Man, he “walked up through the bush” until he arrived at a large, “estate-like” field, complete with “a big white house where they say the Devil lives.” Disguised as the Planter, the Devil reminded Gros Jean of the deal they have: “the one who show the first sign of anger will be eaten.” Since he arrived, Gros Jean hasn’t rested nearly at all. The first day, the Planter tasked him with counting all the leaves of cane in the field, standing up. This took until four in the morning. Then, the Planter asked him to catch 70 fireflies, but Gros Jean could only see stars. Finally, he’s decided to give his arm a break because he has a cramp.
In this moment, Walcott details the poor working conditions that exist on the plantation. Gros Jean’s lack of rest and of pay during his time as a plantation worker speak to the unfair working conditions that black Caribbean people faced when they were either enslaved on plantations or had no choice but to work there for low wages. By comparing the Devil to a white plantation owner, Walcott emphasizes the evil that whiteness and capitalism represent in a Caribbean context. What’s more, the tasks that the Planter asks Gros Jean to carry out—like counting fireflies—are totally meaningless. This suggests that he isn’t asking Gros Jean to work to be productive; rather, the Planter seeks to manipulate and exploit him out of cruelty.
Themes
As Gros Jean is taking a break, the Devil, disguised as the Planter, comes up to him and says, “Well, how’s it progressing, Joe, tired?” Gros Jean reminds the Planter that his name is not Joe. Clearly, the Planter is upset that Gros Jean has taken a break, and reminds him that the lunch hour is over. “Black people have to rest, too,” Gros Jean reminds his supervisor in response. The Planter responds, “That’s right, Mac.” Again, Gros Jean corrects him, to which the Planter responds by telling Gros Jean that he seems annoyed. Gros Jean’s face freezes.
The Planter’s inability to get Gros Jean’s name right reflects his racism. Because all of the plantation workers are presumably black, the Planter is unable to distinguish them from one another; to him, they are all interchangeable, low-wage workers. Gros Jean picks up on this racism when he reminds the Planter that black people need rest, too. He clearly feels dehumanized by his new boss, which is starting to annoy him.
Themes
As the two men continue talking, the Planter mistakes Gros Jean’s name again calling him “Gros Chien.” He excuses himself, saying “Can’t tell one face from the next out here.” When Gros Jean asks the Planter why he himself doesn’t take a break, the Planter replies, “Other people want what I have, Charley, and other people have more. Can’t help myself, Joe, it’s some sort of disease, and it spreads right down to the common man.”
Chien in French means “dog,” and this mistake takes the Planter’s racism to the next level: in his mind, black people are so dehumanized that he compares them with dogs. Additionally, by having the Planter describe the influence of capitalism as a disease, Walcott highlights the extent to which capitalist values create unhappiness, even in those who seem to be in charge.
Themes
Gros Jean is quick to correct the Planter, telling him that he himself is “no common man”—according to Gros Jean, just because he comes from the mountain forest, or just because he’s black, doesn’t mean he can’t become like the Planter. “One day all this could be mine!” he tells his boss. The Planter ignores this comment, and reminds Gros Jean that he still has to stack, count, and classify the sugar cane leaves. Grinning tightly, Gros Jean says to the Planter, “Look, I haven’t let you down yet boss, have I?” The Planter responds, “Sit down, Joe, relax […]only time is money.” Gros Jean protests, reminding the Planter of everything he’s done successfully on the plantation with his “iron arm.” The Planter responds, “Sorry, sorry, Gros Jean, sometimes we people in charge of industry forget that you people aren’t machines. I mean people like you, Hubert…”
Gros Jean’s behavior in this passage suggests that he has bought into the classic “rags to riches” archetypes. He believes, mistakenly, that he will be able to work his way to the top of the capitalist system and join the owning class. Clearly, he does not recognize the extent to which the system is rigged against him—through its racism and colonialism—as he is a poor, Caribbean black man. Indeed, the people at the top of the system, like the Planter, don’t even recognize Gros Jean’s humanity, as the Planter clearly reveals when he openly states that he forgets people like Gros Jean “aren’t machines.”
Themes
Frustrated that the Planter has mistaken his name again, Gros Jean stands up to correct him. The Planter tells Gros Jean to have his smoke, adding, “You don’t know what it means to work hard, to have to employ hundreds of people […] You’re worth more to me, Benton, than fifty men. So you should smoke, after all[…] And such a pleasant disposition, always smiling […] Just like a skull […] But remember, Mervin, I’d like you to try to finish this…” At this, Gros Jean smashes his pipe furiously, demanding what a man has to do to have a “goddamned smoke.” There is an explosion, and, when the smoke clears, the Devil stands with his Planter’s mask removed, saying in French, “Give the Devil a child for dinner. One!”
The Planter’s speech in this passage is full of contradictions. If Gros Jean is indeed worth more than fifty men to him, he should be able to remember his name, for instance. By both telling Gros Jean that he is not working hard enough and that he deserves to rest, the Planter manipulates him. The real reason Gros Jean gets frustrated is that he longs for the Planter’s approval, his recognition that Gros Jean is a hard worker. In other words, Gros Jean’s ego wants the Planter’s praise—which of course he will never get. His ego, then, loses him the bet.
Themes
