Evaluating Important Realities from So Far From God
The novel begins with the introduction of Sofia, a mother who was abandoned by her husband, and her four distinctive daughters namely, Esperanza, Caridad, Fe, and La Loca. Even from the beginning of the novel, Sofia already epitomized the image of a devoted mother. The bizarre circumstances of their lives begin at the very first chapter when three year old La Loca dies and was resurrected again. This led to a big change in their lives as La Loca becomes gifted with mystical powers that are beyond explanation. From here, the story follows how the lives of Sofias other daughters were shook and almost destroyed by the cruel realities of the world and inconsolable heartbreaks from the men theyve loved. La Loca took it as her personal obligation to help her distraught sisters. Healing her sisters from the traumas and injustices they were dealt by societya society she herself never experienced firsthandwas never questioned because it was a proof of mystical power that no one outside their family had really ever seen (Castillo 27). Even Sofia had her own share of failure when she married Domingo, the man who who was to become the lifelong source for both her hearts misery and joy (Castillo 106).
Politics and Leadership
So Far From God is also exposed to the world of politics. Their family had been oriented, directly and indirectly, by the violence that seems to be a permanent reality already. Esperanza is a character in the novel that had always been lost to the world of political ideologies. She was an activist in her college years and her work-related death was brought by a brief but huge war in Saudi Arabia. Fes fate reveals in the novel the existence of worker exploitation and injustices of the society. When she moved out after her marriage finally to her cousin, Fe became very ill because of the new job she took at Acme. Exposure to toxic chemicals led to skin cancer, and eventually caused her death. And because of this poisoning, at the time of her death there was so little left of Fe to be buried (Castillo 186). The family tried to fight for justice by rallying against the use of chemicals that are harmful to humans. Up to the second to the last chapter of the novel, Castillo brilliantly wrote a comparison between the familys rally against toxic chemicals and Jesus march of death.
Aside from her daughters, Sofia also has her own share of political ideologies. Her interest in politics was only inspired in the middle part of the novel when she realized that in order to see the change that she wanted she had to personally act on it. Sofia decides to run as mayor of Tome, although that position was technically non-existent. She wanted to be their towns mayor because she sees the harsh realities they were facing and she felt that its about time somebody goes out and tries to do something about these problems and promote the much needed community improvement of their society (Castillo 138). Her real inspiration comes from her eldest daughter Esperanza who always tried to tell her how we needed to go out and fight for our rights and not just be contented to being a conformist (Castillo 142).
But to rescue an area as economically depressed as Sofias and her comadre would truly have taken more than the desires and dreams of a self-proclaimed mayor and campaign manager (Castillo 146). After convincing majority of the people in their town, Sofia embarked on ambitious, income-generating projects. It was difficult at first because there were a lot of risks in beginning a huge project such as what Sofia had done to revive her towns economy. But finally it became a debate of either everyone doing it all together or nobody doing anything at all (Castillo 146). Sofias political stance and careful long-term planning produced a successful boost to their town and gave bigger opportunities to her fellowmen. Her decision to run as mayor and willingly give her self for the service of change brought successes to Tome. In this part of the story, readers are introduced to the leadership capabilities of Sofia, a trait that was revealed again in the latter part of the novel when she began founding and leading the organization called Mothers of Martyrs and Saints (M.O.M.A.S.).
Essence of Spirituality
Religion and the realities of spiritual life are also significant in the novel. From the very first chapter of the story, Castillo already defied their traditional form of religion. But instead of mockery, the author intended to do this to give a clearer picture of what Chicano spirituality was for a very long time. The theme of Spirituality was very ironic in the story. This can be seen most of the time in La Locas character. She was a child who was gifted abilities that only made her aloof to humans because of how they smell to her. And though there were people who have pushed her to make miracles, she herself never saw the need to prove what she can do and what she has seen before resurrecting from the dead. Instead of performing mystical things, La Locas principle for being alive was to pray for other people (Castillo 32). And her prayers, especially for her family, proved to be powerful. Another example of simple irony would be the meeting of Francisco La Penitentes character, a maker of bulto or images of saints by carving woods, with the character of Caridad, Sofias daughter who was also gifted extraordinary abilities.
But the story also reaffirms the power of faith and prayers. Through her characters, the author promotes the idea that people should humble themselves before the magnificence and the power of Our Father in heaven (Castillo 71). Spirituality was transformational in the story. Several characters faced the challenge of struggling for faith and the novel effectively resolves the doubts and questions of each of these characters.
Interconnectedness of Life
One of the admirable qualities of the novel is the way the author had successfully intertwined the lives of different characters to Sofias mystical family. The story reveals how lives of people can be interrelated, even when they least expect this. This reality was highlighted through the characters of Caridad, Doa Felicia, Maria, and Francisco La Penitente. Lives of people are unexpectedly interconnected because each of these characters serves important realities to each other. This theme of the story affects my personal notion of reality, making me realize that despite some absurdity in the novel, the possibility of lives being interrelated in this small world makes the story realistic and effective.
Sofia as a Mother
Castillos story reiterates or proves my concept of a real mother through the main protagonist, Sofia. Her family is constantly filled with trouble and uncertainty because of her daughters situations, but Sofia continued to epitomize a strong woman filled with hope and love for her children. When Esperanza was to be sent to the war in Saudi Arabia as a part of her job, Sofia was not sure of how to face the fear that she may never see her daughter again. But instead of stopping her, Sofia simply prepared all the favorite foods of Esperanza before her departure because feeding is the beginning and end of what a mother knows to do for her offspring, even when she doesnt know what to say (Castillo 49).
Sofia managed to remain strong and insistent of being alive for the sake of her children. It is hard to decipher if anyone who had faced as much failures, trials, and problems, as Sofia would really endure without losing her mind. But Sofia proved that being a mother really entails having the strength to surpass all these heartbreaking and mind testing experiences. Despite everything that Sofia had to go through, not once did she feel doubt towards her love for her children.
Conclusion
Castillos novel is powerful because amidst the supernatural and peculiar events happening in Sofias family, she was able to bring out the essential message of what kind of sacrifices a parent should expect in raising a family. The novel also effectively imbibed Castillos message of political ideology, spirituality, and the interconnectedness of life. Through a reevaluation of Chicano culture, the novel effectively imparts a story of sacrifice, faith, hope, and unconditional love for the family. It also reaffirms the capabilities of women in a society that gives them too little from the credit they deserve.
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