In Mexican Gothic, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, the theme of perceived weakness versus a hidden resilience is explored extensively. This book shows an interesting portrayal of how some characters who appear fragile to the outside world may possess an inner strength that contradicts their outward demeanor. Conversely, characters with an outward facade of strength often hide significant vulnerabilities beneath their “tough” exteriors.
At the core, we are all the same—just a collection of bones.
For this unessay, I decided to hone some of my dampened art skills. My drawings, which feature Noemi and Howard Doyle, are meant to illustrate that outward appearances often mask a deeper truth—by depicting them as half-skeleton and half-flesh, it’s intended to jump into the themes of perception versus reality and the hidden strengths within each character.
Mexican Gothic carries themes of colonialism, patriarchy, and fighting against these forces. Howard, the main antagonist, holds an oppressive control that hurts and controls his family. Noemi, the protagonist, is a young woman who is arguably perceived as weak by Howard Doyle. However, from their introductions, Noemi questions the authority of the Doyle family as a whole:
“You’d call it coincidence, wouldn’t you? Yes, I suppose you
would. But the fact is everything they touch rots.”
Rots. The word sounded so ugly, it seemed to stick to the tongue,
it made Noemí want to bite her nails even though she’d never done
such a thing. She was particular about her hands; ugly nails
wouldn’t have done for her. It was odd, that house. The Doyles and
their servants were all an odd lot, but a curse? No.
(Moreno-Garcia 74)
Noemi not only challenges Howard Doyle but also confronts the wider power dynamics that dominate everyone in the mansion. The ambiance of the house, which induces strange dreams in Noemi and features repeated motifs of the Ouroboros in the Doyle family crest, empowers her to bring out her inner strength. Her navigation of the mansion and the Doyle family secret represents a broader fight against oppressive systems, positioning her as a symbol of resistance.
I depicted Noemi’s character as healthy, youthful, and completely flawless in her ‘alive’ half. While her skeletal representation remains largely impeccable, aside from a crack on her forehead—the fact that she smokes cigarettes marks a blemish on her otherwise pristine image, especially in the judgmental eyes of the Doyles.
In juxtaposition, on the outside, Howard Doyle a figure of power and strength, but underneath, he remains alive through the use of the gloom. This gloom is central to the plot and is actually quite symbolic of colonial exploitation. Howard has been cultivating and merging with this fungus to extend his life unnaturally, and the entire family understands this arrangement. The members of the Doyle family use the fungus to bond with and control the people living on their estate. Noemi’s mind is manipulated through her dreams—in these dreams, Howard’s outward image of power remains its strongest:
Howard Doyle smiled at her, showing off his stained teeth—
stained with black—and then he pressed his lips against hers. Noemí
felt his tongue in her mouth and then saliva burning down her
throat as he pressed himself against her and Virgil propped her in
place.
He let go of her after long, agonizing minutes, and Noemí was
able to gasp and turn her head.
She closed her eyes.
She felt very light; her thoughts were scattered. Drowsy. My
God, she told herself, my God, stand up, run. Over and over again.
(Moreno-Garcia 209)
This dream sequence inspired my drawing of Howard Doyle. In contrast to my depiction of Noemi, this version of Doyle is very aged and wrinkled. In his ‘alive’ half, I aimed to capture his pretentious demeanor and emphasize the chilling contrast between his public facade of authority and the monstrous reality of where his strength derives from.
(If I had more artistic capabilities, I would have attempted to depict the bones in the ‘dead’ half as decrepit or shattered, but I tried to show it in the cracks, wrinkles, and shading.)
This matters because throughout the novel, Howard proves that while everybody may deserve to live, everybody needs to die. The fact that Howard has relied on the lives of others to continue the life of himself for hundreds of years is the definition of selfishness. He is ugly inside and out, and so I made him that way.
Through my artistic interpretation, I was attempting to convey the duality of characters—seeing beyond the surface to the bones—and the truths that lie beneath. Throughout the perceived weaknesses are flip-flopped. The overlayed images below are meant to suggest a shared human vulnerability that Doyle and Noemi share. Despite their different portrayals in the book—Howard as powerful and imposing, Noemi as seemingly less powerful—the composite image is a reminder that beneath different exteriors, both characters are human—we are fundamentally the same—merely human, bound by our shared condition—an inevitable death.
Under their skin whether they are young, old, experienced, inexperienced, a smoker, or non-smoker, under their literal and figurative skin, they are just a collection of bones waiting to be buried.
Research!
With Mexican Gothic being such a recent novel, finding published works and analysis of the book is still quite difficult to come by. After finishing the book completely, the ideas for the unessay came to me quickly. I looked at some articles about some of the wider themes such as colonialism and eugenics for a deeper understanding of the text. Additionally, I looked to some articles about immortality within literature.
Donnella, Leah. “Colonialism, Eugenics And Downright Terror In ‘Mexican Gothic’.” NPR, NPR, 24 Sept. 2020, https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2020/09/24/398263892/colonialism-eugenics-and-downright-terror-in-mexican-gothic.
Grady, Constance. “Gothic Novels Are Obsessed with Borders. Mexican Gothic Takes Full Advantage.” Vox, Vox Media, 16 Oct. 2020, https://www.vox.com/culture/21517606/mexican-gothic-silvia-moreno-garcia-post-colonial-empire-vox-book-club
Walter, Chip. “Can We Really Cheat Death? And If We Do, Then What?” The Startup, 26 Jan. 2020, https://medium.com/swlh/can-we-really-cheat-death-and-if-we-do-then-what-245dc7a74921
Zurek, Stanley. “Death and Immortality in Literature.” The Theosophical Forum, July 1944. Theosophical University Press Online Edition, https://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/forum/f22n07p305_death-and-immortality-in-literature.htm
Sprockets and Springes 