Hannah Stevens

Dr. Helstern
American Literature II
Comparison/Contrast Analytical Research Essay
To Control and Be Controlled: Themes of Flowering Judas and When it Snowed in Kitabamba
Music is a strong part of any culture, and it can work in multiple ways as a type of
attempted control of those around to hear it. In Flowering Judas and When it Snowed in
Kitabamba, music serves as a means of attempted control, successfully resisted only in
Flowering Judas by Laura when she declines the offers of Braggioni and her other suitor. Music
serves to control the Captain in When it Snowed in Kitabamba when he loses his honor in the
face of music. Both stories show a way that music controls people in the stories.
In Flowering Judas by Katharine Anne Porter, the main male character of Braggioni uses
a Mexican cultural element called a Serenade to convince the girl of his choice to choose him.
According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, a serenade is: A complimentary vocal or
instrumental performance; especially: one given outdoors at night for a woman being
courted(Merriam-Webster.com). Using that definition in regards to Braggioni and his attempted
courtship of Laura, based on his serenade, there is a control Braggioni is attempting and that is
the control over the only thing considered of value, which is Lauras virginity. By singing to her
night after night, Braggioni is attempting to control Laura by courting her and taking her prized
virginity, an important aspect to a womans life and the only thing a woman has that is her own
to control in Mexican society. According to the patriarchal view in Mexico, the church and
society, disparage women who cannot or will not maintain virginity, and without her
virginity, Laura has little to no value in Mexican society (Gonzalez-Lopez, 217). Braggioni is
attempting to take the only thing Laura has control over, and that is the ultimate control.

Next to the serenade, another way to honor someone is a military ceremony. That is
shown in When it Snowed in Kitabamba by Americo Paredes, by Captain Meniscus and his
event. This particular military ceremony has two groups of people in which it tries to honor
based on who is in attendance at this event. Both Captain Meniscus troops and the citizens of
Japan would be in attendance at this function and both groups of people would need to be
persuaded or convinced during this ceremony. Going into this ceremony there is one person who
is in control of what music is played and Captain Meniscus is that person, whose choices are the
most important for the control of his audience and he relishes in the fact that the band he has
chosen has taken a lot of time to learn the songs necessary for the event. These types of control
rule the plot line of these two short stories, and are major personality traits of the main
characters.
The event Captain Meniscus is planning for is the ultimate honor, in his eyes, to what he
has accomplished. He ends up making a complete fool of himself and his downfall is set to the
music he himself has picked, the ultimate irony. The Captain feels very conflicted towards his
ceremony and it no longer holds the brilliancy that it once did, making him search for a way
away from this ultimate dishonor and embarrassment. As Captain Meniscus feels conflicted
about ceremony, Laura feels conflicted about the advances towards her by Braggioni and the
young boy who sings outside of her window. This confliction felt by Laura forces her to her
projected downfall just as the confliction forces Meniscus to his downfall. This control and lack
of control forces these characters to feel indifferently about what goes on in their lives.
Next to this theme of control is the theme of dishonor towards ones group or family when
persuaded by this control. In Flowering Judas, Laura, accepting Braggionis serenade, would be
considered complete dishonor to her family, because now she is essentially worthless in the eyes

of a suitor considering her for marriage in this patriarchal society. By going through the entire
story denying Braggionis advances, Laura has the complete honor of Mexican society, but it
takes a toll on the thoughts and life of young Laura. This border line sexual harassment by
Braggioni is not only inappropriate, but Laura clearly does not want to be followed by Braggioni
any longer, but fears his reaction if she tells him to go away, and is even described as having a
self-delusion in regards to her situation, which helps her be controlled (Walsh, 138). She also
imagines violence towards this man who continually sings to her imagining herself leaning
forward suddenly, and with a sound back-handed slap wiping the surely smile from his face
(Porter, 1641). Laura wishes to have control over this situation, but as long as Braggioni keeps
singing to her, the control is in his hands.
Dishonor in When it Snowed in Kitabamba is put on Captain Meniscus when he is
believed to be posing as a white solider when he is not. The first indication we have of this
dishonor is when Captain Meniscus men Hogg and Fatt are singing a song about monkeys
wrapping their tails around trees to the beat of The Captains March and using Captain
Meniscus name in place of Monkey during a section of the song. Captain Meniscus also reacts
strongly towards these lyrics indicating the effect it had on him. According to
Authentichistory.com, monkey imagery gives people the ability to depict blacks as less than
human and this type of racism has occurred throughout American history
(Authentichistory.com). The knowledge of Captain Meniscus ancestry and the lies and deceit he
is committing are the worst dishonor possible at this time. Captain Meniscus is in control of his
own dishonor giving him the ultimate control over his character, but giving the illusion that he is
very much out of control.

Looking at the lyrics and what they do to the characters is a big part of this control. The
first song is Braggionis song that he sings to Laura the first night when the story begins. This
particular song speaks of complete loneliness, and a life void of parents or friends best shown in
a line from the song stating, I pass my life by the shore of the palm-grove and all alone come
and go like the waves of the sea (Porter, 1642). This doesnt sound like your typical lullaby and
it calls into question Braggionis intentions and how he is trying to control Laura with his
sympathetic song. If Laura buys into Braggionis sad song, she would be in the perfect position
for Braggioni, and would be under his control, just because of his particular song choice. Next, is
the song Hogg has made up, to describe what goes on in the army. The song describes
prostitution and it disgusts Captain Meniscus every time he hears it, illuminating the dishonor
that is circulating throughout this particular unit. The lyrics of the songs used, add to the control
that weaves itself throughout these stories, and the dishonor that is prevalent.
The final part of this concept of control would be the feeling of the characters being
controlled. Laura feels conflicted by her feelings towards Braggioni and her other suitor the
opposite of how tradition tells us a woman should feel. Laura should feel very honored by these
men serenading her, but she is almost annoyed and states her dislike for Braggioni singing to her
when she discusses avoiding her house till the last possible minute hoping he will go away and
serenade someone else. This is an indication of what Laura knows she has and her control over
these men, because despite wanting them to go away, she never tells them to go away. This
music gives men control over women, but the serenading of Laura gives her the control to keep
the men around without giving them what they want.
The control these characters search for is given light by the sound of music and each
character attempts to control others with it. Braggioni attempts to control Laura and she in return

forces her control upon him by silently refusing his advances, but denying him everything he is
after. In the same light, Braggioni is in control of the music that is going to persuade people to
his side, but is controlled by the lyrics of a couple of insubordinates who know more than they
should. Because these characters are able to control and be controlled shows the true power of
the right type of music and the place it has in society.

Works Cited
"The Coon Caricature: Blacks as Monkeys." The Coon Caricature: Blacks as Monkeys. N.p., 20
July 2012. 16 Apr. 2013. Web.
Gonzalez-Lopez, Gloria. De madres a hijas: Gendered Lessons on Virginity across Generations
of Mexican Immigrant Women. Gender and U.S. Immigration: Contemporary Trends.
Ed. Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo et al. 2003. 217- 240
Paredes, Americo. When it Snowed in Kitabamba. The Heath Anthology of American
Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter et al. 6th Ed. Vol C. Boson: Wadsworth, 2010. 2217-28.
Print.
Porter, Katherine Anne. Flowering Judas. The Heath Anthology of American Literature.
Ed. Paul Lauter et al. 6th ed. Vol C. Boston: Wadsworth, 2010. 1640-49. Print.
"Serenade." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. 16 Apr. 2013. Web.
Walsh, Thomas F. Braggionis Jockey Club in Porters Flowering Judas. Studies in Short
Fiction (1983). 136-138.