JE#6

Cultural Schizophrenia is a very complex concept that we have been discussing all quarter long. One prominent feature I recognize with this term’s definition is a hybridity with two clashing cultures. This specific aspect of the unique phenomena commonly experienced by Chican@s is how I chose to rate the main characters in Arturo Islas’ Rain God. In class we brought up a very unique distinction between a colonized mind and cultural schizophrenia, one being that the latter typically involves a use of multiple personalities to survive in a society that indulges in more than one culture. Although I feel ALL the characters at one point or another exhibit a very important feature of cultural schizophrenia, for sake of rating, I list them as follows:

1- Nina: The sister of Juanita is well aware that her brother-in-law Miguel Grande and Lola are having an affair. Yet because society tells her to remain silent/docile (traits commonly associated with women) she remains silent and does not confront her sister’s cheating husband. She is generally a supportive sister of Juanita, the godmother of Miguel Chico, and exhibits the least symptoms of Cultural Schizophrenia.

2- JoEl: Has an interesting relationship with Felix. Although I don’t think molestation or any sort of sexual advances on him by his father were ever explicitly stated, he shows utmost admiration for his father, especially after his gory death. Though he is part of the younger generation (like us) he acknowledges that his family loves him unlike Miguel Chico who takes it for granted. Though he goes a little crazy after his father’s death, his crisis is not so much rooted in an inability to fit in with different cultures per say (at least he’s not aware of it).

3- Lena: The daughter of Felix, is quite a rebel. She is very well aware that she lives in a world where multiple cultures are clashing together which is why she hangs out with the pochos, whom she identifies with. She feels like Miguel Chico and her sister Yerma are “goodies” because they conform more to society, where Lena is conscious of the split society she lives in. She’s also the only one that wishes to surface the injustice of her father’s death which demonstrates less homophobic motives in comparison to her other family members.

4-Angie: The wife of Felix, still stands on the bottom half of the spectrum because although she does not pass on culturally schizophrenic symptoms onto her children like Mama Chona, she still complacently waits at home and fronts a “happy family” with her husband Felix who is obviously crossing some sexual borders. Religion tells her marriage is forever, society tells her to remain silent. She listens.

5- Miguel Chico: This guy deserves the middle ground because I feel most of his symptoms such as: historical amnesia, colonized mind, internalized racism, homophobia, etc. were given to him by older family members. He’s also another character that is very relatable to us because he is a young college student who is ashamed of his family. Though his family loves him, society says his culture is inferior and for that he hates them (but in his defense, his father gave him plenty reasons to hate himself and his culture). A solid 5.

6- Lola: Though Lola may seem like an “empowered woman,” she still uses sexuality as her only avenue to gain agency. I appreciate the way she conquers Miguel Grande’s mind, she manipulates him through reverse psychology, allowing him to believe he is in control.

7- Juanita: As we progress on the spectrum, Juanita sits at 7 because she does not do anything about Miguel Grande and Lola’s affair (talk about some major internalized sexism). Though she does no harm onto others with her cultural schizophrenia, she still demonstrates her dual personalities. One acting like everything is ok at home, the other a mujer who knows she’s being taken advantage of. Culturally, as a wife, she is to stay at home and maintain the home (internalized racism), she lives to service Miguel Grande and never rejects him (SUPER colonized mind). This woman unfortunately is so colonized she has become immobile and stays in her inferior position because she thinks it is the right thing to do.

8- Miguel Grande: The ass. This character deserves this rating because not only does he exhibit internalized sexism and a colonized mind within himself, he perpetuates sexism and homophobia onto his family members which is a lot more damaging than experiencing cultural schizophrenia solo (misery loves company). He obviously has no recollection of his true ancestry (besides his Spanish blood), but demonstrates another personality when he is with Lola, a much softer side of him. Since he believes men should always be masculine he hardly ever reveals this vulnerability, but he still demonstrates that though he is disturbingly colonized, he adopts multiple personalities to adapt to his surroundings.

9-Mama Chona: The matriarch of cultural schizophrenia. This lady has it all: linguistic terrorism with her critiques of Spanish, Historical amnesia with her sole acknowledgement of Castilian blood, colonized mind in her beliefs of unchangeable social hierarchies (where her family sits on top because of their “inherited” privilege), internalized sexism with the strong implementation of gender roles on her children, etc. This woman deserves a 9 because not only is her own identity crisis personal, it is passed on through generations demonstrating the cancerous nature of a colonized mindset.

10- Felix: Though Felix does not have nearly as many symptoms as his colonized mother, he still demonstrates cultural schizophrenia the best by definition. Felix is arguably the only character that actually shows multiple sides of him because of clashing cultures and the inconsistent customs that allow him to behave a certain way. Since the society he inhabits is highly homophobic, he is not allowed to express himself and therefore lives a double life (a way of coping with his many personalities that do not all fit within one world).