Hidden References

Something I found really interesting (but also made it more difficult to understand) in Mumbo Jumbo is the intricate writing style and hidden references Ishmael Reed uses throughout the novel. Oftentimes while I was reading I felt as though there was supposed to be a different meaning behind the “face” of the words--like there was a hidden message between the lines. Later I realized that is mainly just Reed’s style, but there are still some concealed references and ideas throughout the book, and you wouldn’t really recognize them unless you spoke fluent Arabic.

My parents were both born and raised in Arab-speaking countries, and my mom is an Arabic teacher, which is why I speak Arabic very well. The references Ishmael Reed makes are something that someone who hasn't spoken Arabic for most of their lives and doesn't know the inside jokes within the language and the history behind the culture, would understand. Similar to how in English some words have slang versions and if you told someone who isn’t fluent in the language the word, then they wouldn’t be able to tell you the definition used in that context. For example the word dough technically means “a thick, malleable mixture of flour and liquid, used for baking into bread or pastry” but someone can say “it’s hard work but it’s worth it cause I get a lot of dough” or something along those lines. It’s clear that the narrator doesn’t actually mean bread dough, but means “money” when referring to dough in the second sentence.

One example of Ishmael Reed doing this is on page 68 when he uses the word hashish. In Arabic, this word literally translates to “grass” but the more colloquial definition is “weed”. Going even deeper, the younger kids (more like teenagers) often joke around with each other and refer to someone who’s smoking hashish as someone who’s smoking when they’re already high and delusional. In a sense you can describe it as someone who’s digging themselves a hole and sitting in it, and as they’re sitting in it they continue digging--so basically they got themselves into a situation and they’re just making it worse.

Another example of Ishmael Reed making a hidden reference is on page 71, when he mentions 1917 and the Holy Land so casually. He says it as if the reader was supposed to just know about the Balfour Declaration and the events that took place following the release of the document. Right now as you’re reading this blog you’re probably still confused about what happened in 1917, but the truth is, I’ve offered you if not the same, then more information than Reed did in Mumbo Jumbo. Since I have an Arab background I caught these subtle comments, but this has me thinking, does Ishmael Reed make references and connections to other cultures throughout the book, and no one really catches them all because no one knows enough of all cultures and ways of life?

"Fitting" in Society

One interesting theme in Ragtime that I see some correlation to today’s world is when you change your name to “better fit society.” We see this with Harry Houdini, who changed his name to fit in more, which works because we somewhat associate him with living the American Dream. But also as a reader I still think of him as the complete opposite, and the scene when he was escaping the cell adjacent to Harry K. Thaw really reminded me of that. On one side, you have the guy who is supposed to be living a good life (especially with his wealth inherited, so he didn’t have to work hard for it) but instead gets himself locked up, and the other side reflects an immigrant who had to work hard and push his way up. By Harry Houdini changing his name, he gives himself a stage name that he uses to integrate himself into society and build his life up from there.

Most immigrant parents will often continue to give their children names that are common in their home country. That usually results in names that are hard to pronounce for people who don’t speak the native language, and especially at school the name getting butchered up. Take me for example, my name is Raneem and in the “American” it’s pronounced with a soft r sound, but it’s actually supposed to have a rougher, single-tongue-rolled r sound. Although my name occasionally gets butchered up, there are no unfamiliar letters that cause people to pronounce it in an unrecognizable way. For example, one of the most common names in the world is Muhammad, and although it’s well-known, most people don’t say it the correct way because the deep sound hha is not part of the alphabet, so its unfamiliar. This leads to many Muhammads shortening their name to Moe or Hamad to make it more convenient for themselves and others and to fit in.

In Ragtime, we see this type of transformation from Tateh, who changes his name to be Baron Ashkenazy. Afterwards, he feels like he “fits in society” and gets remarried to Mother and gets a job at a company. This shows he leaves behind his immigrant identity and having this “stage name” is more convenient because he’s not as different in society and therefore can fit in more. I honestly think that it’s a sad trend that someone’s name can determine whether or not they are a normal member in society. We see this in Tateh and Harry Houdini when Ragtime was released in the 70’s, and it’s still something that is relevant to today’s world.