Roger Caillois The Ambiguity Of The Sacred

In Roger Caillois’ piece, The Ambiguity of The Sacred, he states “There is scarcely any religious system, even in the broadest sense of the term, in which the categories of the pure and impure do not play a fundamental role.” Most religions are based on what a person should do and what they should not do in order to stay pure, which is what religions want you to to strive to be. So what does it mean to be pure and impure? In his writing he explains what it means to be pure, how a person becomes/remains pure, as well as how purity and impurity are intertwined with one another in reality. All of these things are going to be provided in the following paragraphs. Caillois explains that purity and impurity is not as separated as a person might
First they must rid themselves of all of the profane things or actions. A person must no longer be “a human.” That is to say that they can no longer participate in humanly things. They must reject: sleep, speech, others company, nourishment, and all sexual relations. They must also bathe, shave, and change into his best and purified clothing. In order for a person to stay in the sacred he must stay “consecrated and detached from the profane.” A person can move from positive sacred to negative sacred and vice versa without returning to the profane, but it is impossible to stay in the positive sacredness for too long. For example, a woman during her menstrual cycle is considered to be impure and evil. The girls during this time of their life are sent off away from the village and can not even touch the ground for fear of contamination. The only way for on of the girls to return to purity and sacredness is to go through “ritual purifications.” An example of how purity and impurity go hand in hand, is a woman during her pregnancy and childbirth. Pregnancy is considered to be good and positive, all the while, childbirth is considered impure and evil. Like a girl during her menstrual cycle, a woman who is about to give birth is sent off during this time for fear that she may contaminate others with her impurity. However after a woman gives birth, the blood is stored away and eventually used to cure certain types of skin