Summary Of Cathy Conde

Even on her deathbed, there is a questioning of the paternity of Cathy (II). Her husband, First-Born, becomes preoccupied with this concern as he credits it to be the reason that she was dying. Although she has met Rayze only once and Aymeric is deceased, First-Born is certain that her suffering is due to one of them. He sat in a chapel and “asked himself why she was condemned. Surely Aymeric was punishing this guileless child for having loved the son of his executioner. At other times he told himself she was atoning for a more serious fault that she had committed without knowing” (344). While the concerns of incest are tormenting to First-Born, it is his response to her approaching demise that once again confirms how much one’s lineage
This continued obsession with lineage can also be seen in the central focus of the three Antillean movements that currently exist. Rather than be concerned about the examination of the society and culture of the French Caribbean, the likes of Glissant and Césaire are far more concerned with their relation to the rest of their world and where the best parts of their culture originated. Conde uses Cathy (II)’s tragic death to exemplify where these writers should be focusing instead: the Antilles. First-Born is nowhere near Cathy (II) when she dies and only returns once the child is born. The leading writers of these movements were too focused on their relation to the rest of the world, and they fail to be present for any of the major moments in the Antilles. In Conde’s novel, though First-Born still fails to focus on the absence of his wife even after her death, but rather the possibility of the relationship being
By including both “half-brother” as well as “first cousin,” she is able to reinforce both that Cathy’s father is Razye, making First-Born her half-brother, as well as Aymeric, making First-Born her first cousin. Since Cathy (II) remains an allegory for the Antillean literary voice, Conde is able to reveal that all races and ethnicities must be present and that the “literal” origins of said voice do not truly matter. It is in Father Bishop’s lack of judgment that the reader is also able to accept this answer Conde gives. Cathy (II) is the child of both Aymeric and Razye, which means that she truly has “African, European and Indian blood… in equal proportions.” Although seemingly out of place, it is this new perspective that truly declares that current literary movement is asking the wrong questions. Where one originated does not matter in the Antilles, for everything is related to everything