48 pages • 1 hour read
Kei MillerAugustown: A Novel
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2016A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
The Consequences of Racial and Social Oppression
Augustown explores the consequences of racial and social oppression. Babylon, the system of white society that rules Jamaica, perpetrates oppression rampantly throughout the narrative. Kaia, Clarky, and Gina all fall victim to Babylon’s racial and social oppression in violent ways. Kaia loses his hair and with it, his sense of identity; Clarky loses his hair and with it, his will to survive; Gina loses the tenuous sense of safety she felt she could provide for her son and with it, her life. All of these are contemporary losses, taking place after Jamaica’s independence from direct British colonial governance, but they mirror Bedward’s loss back in 1920. Though the colonial governing structures are gone, the same Babylon exists, the very Babylon that “pull[s] the preacherman right back down to the ground” (108). Before Bedward can “escape the trapments of the world” (25), as Ma Taffy calls it, Babylon forces him to return to the ground, placing the “stone” of oppression back upon his head and preventing him from flying again.
There are more subtle oppressions that also take place throughout the novel. The issue of classism, for example, is brought to light through the characters of Leslie Probyn and Richard Azaar in 1920 and through the Garricks in 1982. Azaar, a mixed-race Jamaican businessman, views the Black Jamaicans as “negroes” contributing to “hooliganism and rampant disorder” in the country (87), demonstrating his clear racist beliefs even though white people look down on him for his race; Probyn, for example, considers Azaar “coloured” by English standards though he is considered “lily white” in Jamaica. As a member of the upper class of Kingston, Azaar’s concern about Bedward is twofold: He worries that Bedward will inspire the Black Jamaicans to want more rights and equality, and he worries that “businesses being forced to close during the Christmas season” will be a “national crisis” for the wealthy business owners (89). Bedward threatens to inspire masses of Black Jamaicans forced to work for minimum pay in grueling jobs to find a new way of living and band together to dismantle the colonialist forces that oppress them.
The Garricks demonstrate the 1982 manifestation of classism. Mr. Garrick’s sentiments underscore how classism and racism intersect to oppress Black Jamaicans. He looks down on Gina, believing his disdain for her comes from “the damned haughtiness of this helper, a quality he couldn’t quite put his finger on” (212). He considers Gina “haughty” for assessing the art in his house, reading the books on his shelves, and being “prudish” (212). Mr. Garrick’s view of Gina is steeped in classism, as he resents the idea of a woman from a lower socioeconomic class having access to the same books and art as him, but also in racism, as he judges her dreadlocks as dirty based on the false notion that Rastas do not care for their hair. His negative views are echoed by his son Matthew, who tells Gina before she even works for the Garricks that his father would not like her because she is from “down there,” meaning Augustown. Matthew himself embodies a different side of the intersection between classism and racism. When Gina brings up Babylon’s oppression of Black Jamaicans, he sardonically responds:
Well, what am I supposed to do about it, Gina? Say sorry? Find every striking person on this island that have less money than my family does and say sorry to them? I’m so sorry that I’m white. I’m so sorry that my father makes a fuckload of money. I’m sorry that I speak good English. Would that help? (205).
Gina’s attempt to educate him about the systemic oppression affecting her and the other Black people of Augustown fails as Matthew views her criticism of the system that he benefits from as a criticism of himself and his family. Matthew’s defensive response further demonstrates the connection Miller draws between classism and racism and the Garrick family.
Gina’s death at the hands of the police is both the climax of the story and the climax of the oppression of the 1982 narrative. The police shoot her to death despite the fact she poses little threat to them or the townspeople around her, given that she is only holding the bloody pair of scissors in her hand, not pointing them dangerously at anyone. Babylon takes her life in retribution for her “using the tools of Babylon against Babylon” and for daring to push back against the oppression that her son faced (190).
The Impact of History and Memory on Contemporary Life
The impact of history and memory on contemporary life is a theme that appears frequently in the narrative as it weaves between 1920 and 1982. The events of 1920 have a direct impact on the autoclaps of 1982. In a way, the day of the autoclaps is a continuation of the unresolved issues and tension from Bedward’s flight in 1920. Ma Taffy and Sister Gilzene serve as a bridge between the two time periods as carriers of the memory of 1920 and Bedward’s story. The history of Babylon’s oppression of Bedward and the miracle of Bedward’s flight lives on in them, and they share the history with two children, Kaia and Lloydisha, to carry it further into the contemporary landscape.
For Lloydisha, the story of Bedward’s flight is context for the unrest of the autoclaps and the march of the bobo shantis. The story serves as a historical precedent of the rise of the Augustown community against Babylon. To understand Rastafari and the depth of violation of the cutting of Kaia’s hair, Lloydisha must understand Bedwardism because as Sister Gilzene explains, “[B]ack then nobody was Rasta. Back then we was Bedwardites” (150). To understand the importance of Rastafari to the Augustown community, Lloydisha needs the context of Bedwardism.
For Kaia, the story of Bedward both provides historical context for Rastafari and instills resilience within him after a moment of acute trauma. Babylon attempted to oppress Kaia by robbing him of the strength and identity stored in his dreadlocks. Ma Taffy tells the story of Bedward, another man oppressed by Babylon, not to frighten Kaia or teach him that there is no hope of survival under the thumb of Babylon but to inspire him. Though Bedward did not fly into heaven like he said he would, he did fly, a seemingly impossible feat. Like Bedward, Kaia is capable of great things, despite the oppressive presence of Babylon. Ma Taffy wants Kaia to grow a “backbone” and become resilient. To build that resiliency, she gives him the history of Bedward to look to as an example: Bedward did not fly to heaven, but still, he flew.
Gina’s flight is the fulfillment of Bedward’s promise, which directly connects the two time periods and demonstrates history’s importance to the events of 1982. Gina’s flight to heaven and her transformation from character to narrator—or from human to “another nameless thing in the sky” (238)—completes Bedward’s prophecy Bedward. Gina, however, does not bring ruination, revenge, or fire to Kingston. The people of Augustown themselves “[pour] kerosene oil and set fire to it all” in mourning for Gina and in defiance of Babylon (233), thus completing Bedward’s historical prophecy to protest a contemporary event.
The Role of Myth, Folklore, and Religion in Sustaining Community and Identity
The role of myth, folklore, and religion in sustaining community and identity appears frequently in the discussions of Rastafari in Augustown. Rastafari as a cultural and religious identity informs a number of the main characters in the novel. Ma Taffy, Gina, Kaia, Clarky, and Bongo Moody all hold their Rasta identities close to their hearts. The bobo shantis, the community of Rastas who live together in Augustown, immediately march for support and retribution for the violence against Kaia. When one Rasta is hurt, especially a child, the rest of them rise up. Though the Rasta community cannot redress the injustice that led Clarky to take his life, they can unite under their Rasta identities, wearing “long beards and priestly gowns” and the “colors of Ethiopia” (136), to demand consequences for the pain and injustice they have long faced.
Bedwardism as a religion is also significant to the narrative. Bedward inspires masses of people to descend upon Augustown to witness his flight. His promise that the people of Augustown “shall be lifted up” is compelling to a community that has long had the boot of Babylon on its neck (76). The community of Black Jamaicans who feel both unrepresented and oppressed by the government and societal structures look to Bedward as a source of hope for a better future. The importance of Bedwardism is made apparent by Babylon’s fear of Bedward’s influence and attempts in the media to undermine Bedward’s reputation; in Kingston newspapers, Bedward is referred to as akin to a “witch doctor” and Bedwardism as “orgiastic revival of primitive superstitions” (99, 94). Bedwardism as a religion gives the community something to hope for and unite around.
The line between myth and religion is a thin one in Augustown, one which both Babylon and Augustown residents attempt to use to their advantage. Bedward inspires religious fervor with his promised flight, but by 1982, he is but a myth. The younger generation knows him as a man who thought he could fly but fell and broke his neck, as demonstrated by the song Kaia hears at school. Bedward is no longer a religious figure in the memory of the broader community, but a cautionary tale of failure and delusion, like Icarus in Greek mythology who flew too close to the sun, melted his wings, and fell to his death. Myth, in this community, has been weaponized by Babylon to distort the truth of Bedwardism and keep the community from rallying together around a common cause. Despite this, the violence against Kaia and his hair unites the Rastas and the broader Augustown community. The loss of Kaia’s hair and Gina’s flight, too, will become a myth that lives in the memories of those in Augustown—another piece of history that members of the community, like Ma Taffy, will carry with them.
