110 pages • 3 hours read
Silvia Moreno-GarciaGods of Jade and Shadow
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2019A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 3-5Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 3 Summary
Chapter 3 relays much of what happens in Chapters 1 and 2 from Martín’s self-important perspective. As the only son of his grandfather’s only son, Martín’s status in the home and town allows him freedom and status. No one questions him except Casiopea, and her skepticism is like “a splash of acid in the young man’s face” (28). The last two days before Casiopea’s departure show Martín complaining about Casiopea to cover up his frustration at not feeling more confident in himself. He criticizes how long it takes her to deliver his cigarettes and chastises her about polishing his boots to deflect negative attention away from himself.
The night before the trip to the cenote, Martín goes to a social event with some other men in town. He arrives home drunk and apologizes to Casiopea for his earlier behavior without admitting his part in what happened. He asks if she wants him to speak to Grandfather about the next day’s trip. Casiopea snaps that she doesn’t and leaves. Unaware that his attitude and insufficient apology are to blame, Martín blames Casiopea for everything and then goes “to bed without regrets” (32).
Chapter 4 Summary
Mérida awes Casiopea. She wants to gawk at the parked cars and big buildings but doesn’t dare ask her godly companion to stop for a minute. Hun-Kamé leads her to the home of a demon named Loray, Marquis of Arrows. In return for access to the Black Road of Xibalba beneath the earth, Loray reveals that Hun-Kamé’s ear is with the youngest of the Mamlab weather gods, who is likely in Veracruz. Loray will arrange transport for them tomorrow, and Casiopea and Hun-Kamé stay the night.
The next morning, Casiopea buys several fashionable dresses for her journey and takes a long, indulgent bath. Once dressed, she finds Loray, who explains the rivalry between Hun-Kamé and his brother. The demon is currently allied to Hun-Kamé but won’t hesitate to change sides if Vucub-Kamé gains the upper hand. Hun-Kamé is only able to survive during the day because of his link to Casiopea, and if he begins to lose, Loray advises Casiopea to chop off her hand, thereby severing the power Hun-Kamé draws from her and aligning herself with his brother.
Loray’s ability to flip his allegiance so easily surprises Casiopea. She notices that Loray won’t say Vucub-Kamé’s name aloud, and she does so to test its power. Loray warns her about the power of names and how gods can use them to gain an advantage over someone. Casiopea isn’t sure what to believe but realizes she has entered “a rather intricate game” (46).
Chapter 5 Summary
Chapter 5 starts in the Underworld, where Vucub-Kamé feels his name being said like “a volute of smoke brushing against his ear” (48). After surveying his court, which is comprised of his demonic courtiers and brothers, he determines none of them spoke his name and goes to Cirilo Leyva’s bedchamber to check on the chest holding Hun-Kamé’s bones.
After bowing and scraping to the god, Cirilo opens the chest to reveal nothing. Though Vucub-Kamé is angry, he has prepared for this moment since it was foretold by fate. The empty chest proves that Casiopea set Hun-Kamé free and that the two have left for the White City.
Unwilling to assist the god in his search, Cirilo offers Martín instead. Eager to prove himself and hungry for the riches Vucub-Kamé promises, Martín agrees to help draw Casiopea away from Hun-Kamé. Satisfied, Vucub-Kamé returns to his realm, where he looks upon the metal axe he had specially crafted to destroy his brother. He thinks about the tomb he has constructed in Baja California for his brother: Typically, gods cannot be killed, but “Vucub-Kamé had found a way” (56), a feat in which he takes great pride.
Chapters 3-5 Analysis
These chapters introduce the points-of-view of Vucub-Kamé and Martín. Martín represents self-importance and greed, in contrast to Casiopea’s determined and kind nature. Moreno-Garcia’s emphasis on Martín’s negative personality traits sets him up to change over the course of the novel. It also shows the competition between him and Casiopea even before the gods become involved, which foreshadows their competition upon the Black Road of Xibalba in later chapters.
Vucub-Kamé’s perspective comes from his negative experiences in Xibalba under Hun-Kamé. Having survived for an eternity, Vucub-Kamé is callous and unfeeling. He makes decisions based on what will further his agenda and elevate him, even at the expense of others. His actions reflect the lust for power of Casiopea’s grandfather and Martín, both of whom are willing to destroy anyone who gets in their way, but on a cosmic scale.
Chapter 4 shows Casiopea and Hun-Kamé outfitting themselves for the long road ahead. Like Cinderella, Casiopea is transformed from a servant to a woman of status with refined dresses and a newly extravagant lifestyle. Speaking Vucub-Kamé’s name—which could have had serious consequences—shows that she is still ignorant in the ways of the gods. She believes speaking his name is an act of defiance and fearlessness while in truth, it only serves to expedite Vucub-Kamé’s discovery of Hun-Kamé. One of Casiopea’s flaws is her tendency to act without thinking. If not for her brash actions, Vucub-Kamé may have been delayed in his discovery of Hun-Kamé and at a disadvantage in their final confrontation.
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