Song of a Hummingbird: A Battle of Consciousness

Tomorrow we celebrate the Day of the Dead–a ceremony where a society pays homage to those who have passed, and planted their seeds in the lives of others. Our ancestors influence us and the lessons they have passed down throughout generations; however, not all lessons were the same. All were influenced by their time period and personal sense of morality. That influence was then conveyed to their child–or whoever was willing to listen. These stories are what provided us with culture.

It is obvious that what may be wrong to me maybe seen as appropriate in the eyes of another. However, we live in a world where many of us have come to accept people’s differences in cultures, morals, and ideologies. These differences are what make us a more educated society. Although we may not believe the ideas of another, we have been taught to respect others for who they are. Graciela Limón’s Song of a Hummingbird focuses on the idea of morality between two different cultures. The readers, along with the characters in the novel, are forced to look at the world of the early Mexicas; and with this, the decision of morality is left up to the reader.

The central conflict in the novel is Father Benito Lara’s inner struggle with his beliefs and his heart. Father Benito has been assigned as the new confessor to Coyoacán and has been asked by Huitzitzilin to absolve her of her sins. Huitzitzilin is an elderly Mexica woman that has seen the history of her country change. She proves to be a great asset to Father Benito as a resource for his chronicle. He listens to her story with great fervor–hoping to discover something that no one has documented.

As Huitzitzilin tells her story, Father Benito makes an effort to avoid certain rituals or information that has been forbidden by the church. He knows that having knowledge of some of that information can make his susceptible to the Inquisition. He is interested in finding out more information for his Chronicle, yet he is worried that by allowing Huitzitzilin to elaborate on certain rituals he may inadvertently conjure up the devil himself. He continues with the confessions–each day receiving a different piece of history and sympathizing more for the Mexicas.

However, these stories end with her confessions–and these confessions are what cause turmoil within his soul. He did not know what to do and was placed in a difficult position as a man of the cloth. It intensifies throughout the novel, beginning with the following passage:

Father Benito looked at Huitzitzilin, and his eyes betrayed the agitation that was tormenting him. He was torn by repulsion and fear, as well as by an inexplicable desire to know more about the old woman and her past. However, he knew that he had transgressed the boundaries of a mere search for knowledge and information when he willingly listened to what was forbidden by his own religion. He felt bitterly culpable because it was he who had encouraged her to invoke that sordid past (29).

Father Benito is put in a situation where he sometimes sympathizes with the old woman, yet there are times where he feels he cannot forgive her. Huitzitzilin is not penitent of some of her sins. She makes Father Benito aware of the fact that if she could turn back time she would do them again. Yet for a confessor to absolve a person of her sins, the individual must repent. His duty is divided between his sympathy and his faith.

Huitzitzilin is attempting to make Father Benito see that the ways of her people were justified. She is defensive in a subtle way, all while convincing Father Benito of the evils that his people brought upon her culture. She wants him to realize that her sins, in reality, were not always sinful due to the context in which they were made. An example is her confession of killing her unborn child. Huitzitzilin retorts, “I would do it again because it meant my life” (31). She understands that her way of life is meant for survival of the fittest.

At this point in the novel, it appears as if Huitzitzilin is trying to convert Father Benito–not in a religious form, but in opening his eyes to the harsh reality of life. She is a person that took every day as it came to her and did what was necessary in order for her to survive. There was no shame in her trying to obtain happiness by keeping her cousin as a lover, nor killing an unborn child to keep herself from being punished. She is attempting to open the eyes of a naive priest who sees nothing but what he has learned from books.

Father Benito has no sense of reality and lives in a world where he believes that everything will be okay. His squeamishness and obvious turmoil proves that he does not know whether or not she or he people are wrong. He turns to a senior priest to tell of his unrest, but he proves to be of no help. His patience is constantly placed to the test through Huitzitzilin’s blasphemous stories and confessions. There were times where “Huitzitzilin had gone too far, and the monk’s lips quivered as he struggled with the outrage of listening to the woman as she maligned what was sacred to him. But despite his rancor, she seemed oblivious to what he had said” (103).

He continues to be sucked into Huitzitzilin’s stories day after day. She, and the ways of her people, fascinates him. He may not understand the reasons for many of their actions, but he is coming to the understanding of morality among cultures. What is wrong for him can be justified in the eyes of another.

At Huitzitzilin’s death, Father Benito finally arrives at an understanding with himself, and the old woman. He is able to separate his heart from his mind and find compassion for those that were forced to live another way of life. At the end of the novel, his mind becomes clear to the purpose of his being chosen to be Huitzitzilin’s confessor.

His mind went deeper into his spirit until it became clear to him that it was not absolution or even mercy that she had expected of him, but understanding of her life, of her people, and of their beliefs. He saw, too, that for an unforeseen reason he had been chosen to record that life, to see it through her eyes in its wholeness and not in fragments (216-17).

His inner turmoil is finally resolved when his eyes are opened to truth. The church no longer influences him–he now only reports to God.

When one is growing up, they are sheltered from the world by those who care about them. They are not allowed to see the ugliness of the world for fear that they may one day become a part of it. Many remain this way as adults. Father Benito is one of these people. He was finally able to learn the truth, and not just a biased point of view. He has been introduced to a new culture and has been re-educated. This, if anything, will make him a better priest. He will be able to understand his people better and assist in the union of two very different communities. I think he will help assimilate people, but no longer by force.

Many never see the wrong in their actions until someone points it out for them. However, maybe they were never wrong. Judging someone without understanding their situation and background leads to prejudice and racism. It leads to a more segregated community where no one understands another. Father Benito is creating union. He is filling the gap of history in his mind and within his people. Whether one may be right or wrong, understanding is the only way that a community can grow.

Looking to past generations, we learn to appreciate all that was sacrificed in order to give us the opportunity we have today. We are forced to face our conscious every day, and many times we do not make the proper choice–in another’s eyes that is. We have been taught to live a certain way of life. Previous generations set the standards for our living, and we can either choose to live in it or improve it. Either way we are doing well. We no longer have to be persecuted for our differences. We have come to an understanding that we make different choices. Regardless of race, color, or ethnicity, we are all one under the eyes of God. He is the only person that can judge us or forgive us. Our ancestors fought so that we may live as free spirits and for this we must show our gratitude. Although tomorrow may be Dia de los Muertos, their spirits live in our hearts forever. Our conscious and minds are clear of conflict. Morality is instilled in each individual–creating a new soul. Together we are a nation.