Cultural Contrast and Tradition in “Shift”

April 6, 2022Allison S Curseen1,086 Comments

Cultural traditions appear evidently in Nalo Hopkinson’s “Shift.” Although Hopkinson does not follow the traditions exactly, she is still able to stay loyal and represent her culture effectively. She raises themes and questions focusing on racial and cultural contrasts. Specifically, the protagonist Caliban is derived from William Shakespeare’s English work and reclaiming it in the form of Caribbean literature. This exemplifies a contrast in that Caliban is trying to leave his foundational culture behind to pursue life with a white woman. An example of this contrast would be how Ariel, Caliban’s sister tells the reader that the white language is considered the “colonizer language” and she refuses to absorb and succumb to the privilege that comes with it. Throughout the work, Hopkinson shows the contrast between Caliban’s willingness to abandon his culture and Ariel’s strength in embracing it. Ariel frowns upon Caliban’s desire to pursue such a culture as the white one, “Caliban have a sickness. Is a sickness any of you could get. In him it manifests as a weakness; a weakness for cream…. Him believe say it would make him pretty.”

The cultural contrast between white and non-white is relevant throughout the whole short story. From the beginning, it is evident to the reader that Caliban is enamored with this white woman he spends time with as he expresses his want for her to kiss him, “…a gleam of amusement in her eyes, and your heart double times, but she kisses you on the forehead instead of the mouth. You could scream with frustration.” Additionally, it is inferred that Caliban could possibly be white at the beginning of the story based on the way he speaks in comparison to the end of the story. Specifically, the differences in the fluency of Caliban’s English appear as follows; at the beginning he says, “You could kiss me, and make me your prince again,” and at the end he says “trying so hard to be ‘island’ like you just come off the boat.” Then the narrator states, “In your anger, your speech slips into the same rhythm as hers,” meaning Ariel’s cultural rhythm of speech.

The textual element of contrast through cultural differences serves the purpose of highlighting barriers and challenges faced when trying to understand and assimilate into different cultures. Specifically, family conflict is highlighted due to the fact that Caliban and Ariel are siblings, and Caliban is attempting to leave behind his familial traditions while Ariel attempts to stop him.

This claim derives from the challenges presented by Hopkinson throughout the entirety of “Shift.” Family is a very important aspect of Caribbean culture which is highlighted through Caliban and Ariel’s relationship and banter. Additionally, the transition of Caliban’s vernacular and sentence structure also shows the struggle to completely change certain aspects of one’s foundational culture. Overall, Hopkinson uses the demonstration of family, dialogue, and vernacular to demonstrate cultural contrast.