The Anti-Plague

A lot of things stood out to me when reading Mumbo Jumbo. The storytelling, plot lines, and general atmosphere of the novel all became a flurry of confusing thoughts as I progressed into the novel. The one thing that seemed to be at the center of it all was Jes Grew, manifested as an unknown virus spreading across America, influencing people to listen to music and dance and generally, have a good time. Ishmael Reed constantly describes instances of Jes Grew but never really provides a definition for it. So, what really is Jes Grew? Does Jes Grew even have a definition?

Jes Grew seems to have no creator. It springs up out of nowhere and spreads like a wildfire throughout society, seeping into every crevice and nook. This unknown phenomenon seems to often manifests itself as entertainment, such as the growth of jazz music and dance culture seen in the novel.

Another characteristic of Jes Grew is that it seems to invite competition. The existence of Jes Grew often incites fear of this new and evolving change, leading to a growing resistance to this type of culture. In Mumbo Jumbo, an example of this sort of resistance is seen in the Wallflower Order. People are always resistant to change and thus, any kind of manifestation of Jes Grew invites conflict and violence. This also suggests that once this kind of resistance has dissipated, the idea of Jes Grew is no longer needed. Jes Grew is the organic and unpredictable emergence of new culture, not necessarily the actuality of such culture. Jes Grew fades and then reemerges once it's needed again. Once that new culture has been accepted by the opposition and the culture is finally part of the "normal," Jes Grew is no longer needed. Jes Grew may fade after its time is over, but it never completely dies. Jes Grew is the supposed embodiment of life's meaning and so long as there is life, there is Jes Grew.

Comments

  1. Charlie HechlerMarch 25, 2022 at 6:22 PM

    Hello Arya, I enjoyed reading your post. I think you have a good grasp on what Jes Grew really is. I like how you mentioned that Jes Grew does not have a creator, it just seems to happen. Even with large cultural movements sometimes it can be hard to place where the origin is, and even then it is always controversial. Someone may have created a certain genre of music, but another event may be what causes it to spread among the people. Good post!

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  2. LaraMarch 25, 2022 at 7:36 PM

    I never considered Jes Grew as a catalyst for competition, but I think you bring up a good point. The strong opinions surrounding it certainly lead to a lot of tension between the supporters and opposition which, in turn, lead to both sides trying their hardest to push their respective agendas. Great post!

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  3. SAhmad DastMarch 25, 2022 at 8:26 PM

    That's a really good point, this implies that competition/resistance are fundamental attributes of Jes Grew, and that there is no Jes Grew without resistance. In a way, you could say that Jes Grew grows "stronger"/spreads faster the more resistance there is to it. Of course there is a limit to the amount of resistance it can experience, as we saw in the book. Regardless, I think that is a very interesting comparison to bring up.

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  4. TeoMarch 25, 2022 at 10:20 PM

    I think that your argument for Jes grew being counter culture rather than a specific culture itself is really good. Especially since jes grew dies out after being normalized, this theory makes a lot of sense. I think that Reed embodies this counter culture, often criticizing ever form of popular culture, even including black activism. Nice job!

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  5. BrooksMarch 26, 2022 at 12:55 AM

    The first thing that was interesting to me was that it was an anti-plague, making people happy instead of dying, and yet people still were scared of it. After the discussions in class, I was also really intrigued by how Reed made Jes Grew's strength based on it's popularity and resistance, so it and the Wallflower Order live in a symbiotic (?) relationship, which makes the WO look kinda dumb. He's really shaped this anti-plague into a device that'll help him make fun of white people and people who don't like having fun.

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  6. Stefania March 28, 2022 at 5:49 PM

    I agree that it's interesting to consider what Jes Grew actually is, and I think that your broad definition makes sense. Jes Grew is definitely not limited to the time period that Ishmael Reed chose, that just seems to be a time when it's emergence in a society was very present. Since Reed didn't spend much time actually trying to define it in the book, I think Jes Grew being something that's always present where there's life (or at least society?) fit's best.

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