Eng 48A
Journal on De Vaca
12/7/09
Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca
1490-1558
"we cured the sick and they killed the healthy; we had come naked and barefoot and they well dressed, mounted and armed; we did not covet anything . . . and the only aim of the others was to steal everything they found." ("Truth and Fiction Chart A Miraculous Journey", Louis Werner)
"When we saw for certain that we were drawing near the Christians, we gave thanks to God our Lord for choosing to bring us out of such a melancholy and wretched captivity." (Norton Anthology Pg.46)
The first quote illustrates De Vaca's conflicted sense of identity upon rejoining his Spanish brethren. Having lived with the Native Americans for eight long years, studied them, and survived alongside them, De Vaca could not help but see the Spanish through the eyes of an Indian. His sense of identity had changed, but regardless of the time he had spent in the Americas, he was of Spanish origin. He had crossed the Atlantic at the age of thirty seven after all, and the majority of his life, and identity, would always rest in Spain. Even so, the odyssey he had taken by foot across the Americas had changed him. He could never go back to being ignorant of the Native Americans, and would never forget the simple generosity that they gave unconditionally. Upon meeting the Spanish, his identity quickly came into question however. The Spanish could not believe that he was anything but an Indian, and the Indians could not believe that he was Spanish. In the end, he turned his back on the Native Americans, and sold them out to the Spaniards. Perhaps this decision was something he would always look back on in regret, but at the time, it was a necessary for him to reestablish his identity. Six hundred Native Americans would be enslaved because of him, but, as if paying the price, De Vaca soon became one of the greatest adversaries to slavery in the 'New World'. Originally embarking on a slave mission, De Vaca would return eight years later, a changed man. A result of the journey that had changed his life, and identity, forever.
The second quote -a contrast to the first- seems to establish De Vaca as a Spaniard, unchanged by his eight years of survival in the Americas. First, he identifies his Spanish brethren as 'Christians' -the irony is painful-, but then follows these words by giving thanks to 'God our Lord'. Establishing himself as a fellow Christian, De Vaca seems to say that he never once questioned his identity. Considering the amount of time he spent living as a Native American this seems suspicious, and he may have written these words for the purpose of ensuring his Spanish identity, but he may very well have meant them. He knew he would be questioned upon returning to Spain, however, which may have influenced his words, and the first confrontation he had with the Spanish slavers seems support the idea that he was not so sure after all. Either way, if he never once questioned his identity, why would he go to such great lengths to establish it to the Spanish?
1490-1558
"we cured the sick and they killed the healthy; we had come naked and barefoot and they well dressed, mounted and armed; we did not covet anything . . . and the only aim of the others was to steal everything they found." ("Truth and Fiction Chart A Miraculous Journey", Louis Werner)
"When we saw for certain that we were drawing near the Christians, we gave thanks to God our Lord for choosing to bring us out of such a melancholy and wretched captivity." (Norton Anthology Pg.46)
The first quote illustrates De Vaca's conflicted sense of identity upon rejoining his Spanish brethren. Having lived with the Native Americans for eight long years, studied them, and survived alongside them, De Vaca could not help but see the Spanish through the eyes of an Indian. His sense of identity had changed, but regardless of the time he had spent in the Americas, he was of Spanish origin. He had crossed the Atlantic at the age of thirty seven after all, and the majority of his life, and identity, would always rest in Spain. Even so, the odyssey he had taken by foot across the Americas had changed him. He could never go back to being ignorant of the Native Americans, and would never forget the simple generosity that they gave unconditionally. Upon meeting the Spanish, his identity quickly came into question however. The Spanish could not believe that he was anything but an Indian, and the Indians could not believe that he was Spanish. In the end, he turned his back on the Native Americans, and sold them out to the Spaniards. Perhaps this decision was something he would always look back on in regret, but at the time, it was a necessary for him to reestablish his identity. Six hundred Native Americans would be enslaved because of him, but, as if paying the price, De Vaca soon became one of the greatest adversaries to slavery in the 'New World'. Originally embarking on a slave mission, De Vaca would return eight years later, a changed man. A result of the journey that had changed his life, and identity, forever.
The second quote -a contrast to the first- seems to establish De Vaca as a Spaniard, unchanged by his eight years of survival in the Americas. First, he identifies his Spanish brethren as 'Christians' -the irony is painful-, but then follows these words by giving thanks to 'God our Lord'. Establishing himself as a fellow Christian, De Vaca seems to say that he never once questioned his identity. Considering the amount of time he spent living as a Native American this seems suspicious, and he may have written these words for the purpose of ensuring his Spanish identity, but he may very well have meant them. He knew he would be questioned upon returning to Spain, however, which may have influenced his words, and the first confrontation he had with the Spanish slavers seems support the idea that he was not so sure after all. Either way, if he never once questioned his identity, why would he go to such great lengths to establish it to the Spanish?
20/20 Great job on this journal...fascinating schizophrenia.
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