The Gilda Stories, a novel by Jewelle Gomez, embarks us on a journey of Gilda’s life as she travels through time and leads multiple lives. Throughout her lives, Gilda is a woman of African descent with strong feminist traits. She has a sense of loyalty to her friends and family, both mortal and immortal. The first chapter of the novel, which has five scenes, describes her first life. She is a runaway slave in Louisiana in 1850, not yet a vampire, not yet named, who stabs a rapist in self-defense. Rescued and adopted by Gilda, a vampire who runs a brothel, she soon becomes a vampire herself and adopts Gilda's name.
In scene one, Gilda stumbled upon the Girl in the root cellar of her small farmhouse on the road outside of New Orleans in 1850. The Girl had been crying heartily out of fear, because she could not distinguish whether she was in a dream or if this was really happening to her. She had stabbed the rapist with a wooden-handled knife in the chest and could feel his blood leaving his body. Once, Gilda found her she than took her to her Brothel, which was named Woodard Place. Gilda ran Woodard Place for fifteen years, but had Bird to help her manage it. Bird was a Lakota Indian, who wore adorned dresses and had thin strips of leather beading or quill braided in her hair or sewn onto her dresses. As Gilda was getting everything settled in the room for the Girl, Macey had brought in a tray of food, but kept glancing over her shoulder to look at the thin black girl with the African look. Macey did not live in the house, but mostly dealt with Bernice, who was the cook, and with Bird. She had no belief in voodoo magic and barely held on to her Catholicism. During this whole time the Girl had kept thinking about how far the plantation was, who Gilda was, and how she could get away from her. For Gilda, looking at the Girl reminded her of Bird when she had returned from her visit to her people, the Lakota. Gilda was able to see into the Girl’s mind and the Girl could see into Gilda’s mind as well. When the night grew near, Gilda and Bird lay side by side, which permeated their day of rest.
In scene two, during the few months at Woodard’s, the Girl kept to herself and did all the chores she was directed to in the house. While the girls would eat around the kitchen table, she would listen to their conversations. Fanny, who was opinionated and a very vinegary person, would always argue with Rachel, who had a way with her words and was full of ambition. Gilda and Bird would sit with them occasionally to tell stories and laugh just the same as Bernice, who was the dark, wary cook. Rose, kind to a fault, Minta, the youngest, and Sarah, the appeaser would also join in. They would talk about debate topics only spoken of by men, which were on politics and economics. Gilda’s house was run with brisk efficiency. Since Bird managed there every day affairs, she decided to teach the Girl how to read. Bird enjoyed the lessons as much as her evenings spent with Gilda, since there time together had grown less frequent. With the Girl’s presence Bird had noticed that Gilda was more relaxed, but talked of the true death and how soon her time might come. At that point all Bird wanted to do was find their share of the blood together when night fall came.
In scene three, throughout the Girl’s third year at Woodard’s, she had grown three inches and had the rounded calves and breasts of a woman. Minta was only two years older than the Girl, who was about seventeen years old. She carried herself as if she had always lived in a brothel and would accompany the Girl in the garden. Just before Minta’s twentieth birthday, Rachel, who was closest to Minta, left for California hoping to start a fresh life and find a husband. The Girl during the party engaged in a conversation with the man, but felt a sense of uneasiness, because she was wary of white men asking questions. The man had begun to touch her inappropriately wanting her to have sex with him. Gilda had walked in and told him to ask one of the other girls, but he kept insisting to have his way with the Girl. Gilda was flushed with anger, but the lessons Sorel taught them of an enduring power that did not feed on death came into play. She remembered that her love for Bird fed her and allowed her to finally lay down in the sea and give up her life.
In scene four, on a soft light fall afternoon, the Girl worked in the garden as she had done for years. Minta had joined her that afternoon. While in the garden, the Girl out of curiosity asked Minta how long she had been living at the brothel. Minta could not quite remember how long, but said that she had been saving her money in order to move to the west with Rachel. The Girl also asked about Bird. She had already left once, but she came back quickly, because she was not welcome back home. Since Minta had been saving money, she advised the Girl to do the same, but the Girl considered it her home and would not leave under any circumstances. The girl made it clear that her life was with Miss Gilda and Bird.
In scene five, on an evening after going to the farmhouse, while taking a trip to see Sorel, Gilda kept pondering over whether she could leave Bird without others like herself in the world. The Girl did not know why they included her on the trip to the farmhouse. On the way there Gilda asked the Girl what she remembered about her family. She remembered Minerva, who was small and full of energy and questionable, Florine, who was two years older than the girl and unable to meet anyone’s eyes, and Martha, who was the oldest and broad-shouldered like their mother, but more solemn. After learning about the Girl’s family, Gilda wanted the Girl to become her daughter, as well as Bird’s. She put her in a trance and the Girl felt sharpness in her neck and heard the soothing song. Gilda had told the Girl that Bird would return soon to complete the circle. Once it was complete, the Girl became a vampire herself and drifting away into the night with her parents, Bird and Gilda in order to learn their ways of living.
No comments:
Post a Comment