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Meandering down a Stream of Consciousness on Mumbo Jumbo and Monotheism

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 I think that generally Ishmael Reed takes a very iconoclastic approach to Christianity, aligning it with the Templars, the crusaders, and the Wallflower Order (the central antagonists of the book) and making its existence in the ultimate form a mere disguise for Atonism. I think this is meant to be a satirical caricature of Christianity and monotheism as a whole, similar to the arguments about the significance of Abdul Sufi Hamid’s lampoons as was discussed in class. This interpretation is furthered by Reed’s own words in an outside interview: “I’m not against Christianity. I only want to humble it, like it says it ought to be.”[1]  Reed’s portrayal of Christianity, and to a greater extent monotheism, is wide-reaching in and beyond the novel: Moses, an important figure in all the Abrahamic religions, is depicted as a cultural appropriator, an ancient Elvis who commits the original sin—under Set’s goading—of reading the book in its Petro aspect. Outside of Mumbo Jumbo, Reed’s ...
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Here lies Sarah [---], whom death took from me too soon

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Sarah is extremely separated from the family at first, though, and this very much remains the case: they don’t even know her last name, and they seemingly don’t know her first name either before Coalhouse mentions it—the boy, who always notices more, “realized he meant the woman in the attic” (p155). Her rejection of Coalhouse coming to see her is the most that she says to the family, over months and months. Even after she grows closer to them, she doesn’t feel like she can tell any of them about her plan to petition the Vice President on behalf of Coalhouse. Even outside of the family, she is noted to have no connections to the Black community downtown, and to be a “transient element” who came here from out of town. This shows Sarah’s continual isolation, and the lack of knowledge on part of the writer is similar to how Coalhouse is treated with uncertainty.  Coalhouse’s courtship of her is sweet—he is originally what prompts her to speak, he visits her and brings gifts to both he...
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