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 8-9Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 8 Summary
Casiopea and Hun-Kamé arrive in Veracruz a day before Carnival, a yearly event of fun organized to promote “appropriate” images of how people should act. After securing lodgings, they explore the city and go to a small cafe for dinner. There, Hun-Kamé explains they will find the youngest of the Mamlab by letting him come to them. As an attractive woman, Casiopea will be bait. Casiopea argues she isn’t attractive because of her dark skin and hair—so different from the images of fair, light-haired women the advertisements display as attractive. Hun-Kamé disagrees. Between her looks and the unique scent of his essence about her, she will draw the god because “something powerful and mysterious cannot be ignored” (77).
Enraged at what Hun-Kamé asks of her, Casiopea threatens to leave and cut off her hand to destroy him. Hun-Kamé says doing so would be cowardly and would break the promise she made to help him. Finally, Casiopea agrees because she feels sorry for his isolation. He replies that “we are all alone in the world” (79), but Casiopea doesn’t understand his meaning.
Hun-Kamé will enchant a piece of rope for Casiopea to bind the Mam (singular of Mamlab). He takes her hand, telling her to feel his power flowing through her veins. Casiopea feels both his power and a moment of attraction that makes her withdraw her hand. She is frightened of what may happen but is resolved to stay by Hun-Kamé’s side for the chance to become something more than she is.
Chapter 9 Summary
Carnival fills Casiopea with equal parts amazement and unease. Hun-Kamé rents costumes for them, and Casiopea truly sees her reflection for the first time. Her dark hair and full lips look prettier than she thought, and she admires herself without feeling vain. They go to the busiest part of the city. Hun-Kamé gives Casiopea the enchanted rope and reminds her to bind the god’s hands when she finds him before disappearing into the crowd. Though she is terrified, Casiopea proceeds because she “said she’d do this and she would” (85).
Soon she comes upon a dark stranger who draws her to him with compliments and a soft tone of voice. He leads her into an alley, where he runs his hands along her body and asks for a kiss. Casiopea agrees to kiss him if she’ll let him tie his hands. He does and becomes enraged when he can’t break free. The god tries to attack Casiopea, but Hun-Kamé appears and protects her.
Hun-Kamé confronts the Mam, demanding he return Hun-Kamé’s ear. The Mam argues that he is only doing the Lord of Xibalba’s bidding and that Hun-Kamé cannot promise him anything in return. Finally, Hun-Kamé uses his power over death to make frost to appear on the Mam’s body. Knowing Hun-Kamé has the strength to kill him, the god hands over the ear. Casiopea watches the exchange, realizing that she has truly aligned herself with death; she wonders, if she should fear Hun-Kamé rather than aligning herself with him.
The Mam returns to the festival, and Casiopea thanks Hun-Kamé for protecting her. He tells her not to thank him for such small things, but to her, his kindness is significant. With his ear returned, Hun-Kamé can now listen to the dead and the psychopomp, the spirit who guides the dead to the Underworld. They leave in search of a crossroads.
Chapters 8-9 Analysis
The Veracruz Carnival is a celebration that began in the late-18th century as a combination of music and dance from European, African, and Indigenous cultures. Over the years, the celebration transformed from a cultural affair to one of religious and political significance, as different groups attempted to use Carnival to their advantage. In the 1920s, the festivities and masquerade balls of Carnival were both a religious and cultural celebration, as well as a way for American culture to filter into Mexican society. Pale skin, fair hair, and a slender body were considered beautiful while darker skin and hair were considered less desirable. Coming from a small town, Casiopea internalized these standards without question, and only after she sees herself without judgement from her family does she understand that she is beautiful.
The Mamlab are part of Huaxtec Mayan mythology. The Mamlab are a group of three, sometimes four gods that control different aspects of the weather. In Gods of Jade and Shadow, the youngest Mam controls thunder and is the most mischievous of the group. Hun-Kamé uses ice to subdue the god, which in Huaxtec Mayan mythology supersedes thunder. Hun-Kamé’s victory also represents the power of death over all beings, mortal and immortal alike.
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