Happy Ever-After
By Jaime Miller, with comments by Catherine Willard and William
[1] According to Paul Galante, "Echevarria's representation of Cabeza de Vaca portrays the liminal state of consciousness which serves as a prototype of the mestizo in Mexican national identity." He goes on to quote Juan Bruce-Novoa's claim that "Cabeza de Vaca is the New World mestizo voice spoken for the first time. . . . having acculturated to survival, Cabeza de Vaca was no longer the Spaniard who set out on the voyage, but a hybrid New World man." One key way in which Echevarria dramatizes Cabeza de Vaca's transformation is to show him in relationships with individual natives unimaginable if he retained the conquistador mentality. Though the real Cabeza de Vaca must have formed some close relationships during his ordeal, none are documented in his account. In fact, no natives are even named. In his film, though, Echevarria creates two characters, Malacosa and Cascabel, to dramatize the possibility of cultural brotherhood.
[2] The relationship between Cabeza de Vaca and Cascabel develops through three scenes, ending here on the most emotional point of the film: the healing of Cascabel (1:06:16), the bonding with his tribe (1:10:40), and his death (1:42:37). The brotherhood first forms in the scene where Cabeza de Vaca heals the wound Cascabel received from the cannibalistic Blue Woman (1:06:16). Literally and figuratively, Cabeza de Vaca touches Cascabel's heart in this scene. In addition, Cabeza de Vaca carries Cascabel through the water, much like a brother would carry a brother. This scene sets the rest of the movie up for an emotional climax.
[3] Next, Echevarria creates a scene in which Cabeza de Vaca and his men are welcomed into Cascabel's tribe (1:10:40). Cabeza de Vaca participates in an initiation ritual; Dorantes sleeps with a woman, and Estebanico plays with children. After this bonding the Spaniards and the natives travel as one unified tribe, and when it is time to part because the Christians have been sighted, the older brother Cabeza de Vaca has to physically shove and verbally chase the reluctant "little brother" Cascabel away from him.
[4] This last scene in which we see Cabeza de Vaca and Cascabel together is the most emotional scene of the movie (1:42:37). In this scene, we see the full force of Cabeza de Vaca's transformation. Echevarria portrays Cabeza de Vaca struggling to re-adapt to Christian and Spanish society after being abandoned for so many years. To add to his self-torment, he finds his brother, Cascabel, on a wagon, dead. And there is nothing he can do; no magical power he has will bring his friend back to life. Perhaps Cabeza de Vaca knows better than to practice shamanic rituals in front of the Spaniards. (comment by William "Tommy" McNulty) If he does practice them, he will be charged for heresy. Or perhaps the shamanic powers do not work when a Spanish bullet is the agent of death. Whatever the reason, Cabeza de Vaca is utterly traumatized. His words are so simple: "Why? Why?" Yet the power in Cabeza de Vaca's voice makes the simple words understood by the audience as well. It is evident that the transformed Cabeza de Vaca has lost a brother. And that we feel the loss of a truly new world. Why?
[5] The death of Cascabel especially "tugs" at the heartstrings because Cascabel wore Cabeza de Vaca's cross. When the Spaniards kill Cascabel and bring his body past Cabeza de Vaca, he finds the small wooden cross -- which Cascabel must have retrieved after Cabeza de Vaca threw it away as he shed the outward signs of his shamanism -- the final definitive sign of their brotherhood. That small wooden cross the shrieking Cabeza de Vaca holds in his hand alludes to the extremely large, overbearing cross in the final scene of the movie -- the cross that answers the question why. (comment by Catherine Willard)
[6] Echevarria's portrayal of the friendship between Cabeza de Vaca and Cascabel may have not been entirely factual, but the powerful emotion generated by the chemistry of the characters really made me think. Our culture has provided us with a steady diet of images of hostility between natives and whites, but this film provided a welcoming change as native and white befriend one another. Even though the film ends tragically, Echevarria showed that friendship can be created despite barriers and that made me hopeful about cultures living in harmony. Through realizing the importance of their friendship, Echevarria gave me a "happy ever after."
Comments
Jaime, I am not sure that the cross in the following scene answers the question why. Indeed, as mentioned earlier in your post, "Why?" is a simple question. However, this simple question can have a plethora of meanings. Cabeza de Vaca could have meant a number of different things: Why did Cascabel have to die? Why did the Spanish rob and murder him? Why have my past eight years been a struggle? I feel as though Cabeza de Vaca was crying out in sadness and anger at the death of his "brother" but also in frustration because of how his failed expedition took him down such an enlightening path for the past eight years. He has gained an entirely new perspective on cultural acceptance and is now facing the reality that he will have to go back to a life of lust for money, power, and greed.
If you are implying that the reason Cascabel died was in the name of the Spanish religious conquest that is obviously portrayed with the massive cross in the next scene, it is hard for me to agree with you. I believe that Cascabel died out of the Spanish lust for gold and riches, hence the soldier's response to Cabeza de Vaca that the dead native was good for nothing because all of his goods were already stolen. The cross in the following scene represents religious oppression as the slaves carry a large cross across the desert; the cross on Cascabel's wrist represents the brotherly bond that the two men have formed.
Comments
William "Tommy" McNulty 2/26/10
I think Cabeza de Vaca not only realizes that performing his recently acquired shamanistic rituals will be considered heresy, but we must realize that he has been separated from these Spaniards and their culture for eight years. While it seems as though some of the men were able to assimilate back into the culture easily and quickly, Cabeza de Vaca did not merely become a simple member of the Indian culture, but in fact had risen to become a type of leader with his healing powers. At this point he sees his brother Cascabel, dead, in front of him and realizes that he has lost the one he was closest to for the last eight years of his life. The other Spaniards may scoff at the sight of another dead Indian, yet Cabeza de Vaca had been extremely close with these people, and I feel as though that is clearly what causes this breakdown at the end of the film. As he sits around the campfire wearing the simple rags from earlier in the film, we see the contrast to the other Spaniards who had been rescued and how differently their minds seem to be working after eight years among a completely different culture.
