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Exploring Liminality and Identity in Signs Preceding the End of the World
Yuri Herrera’s Signs Preceding the End of the World is a hauntingly beautiful novel that transcends the boundaries of traditional migration narratives. Through the journey of its protagonist, Makina, Herrera crafts a story that is both deeply personal and universally resonant, exploring themes of identity, displacement, and the fluidity of borders—both physical and metaphorical. The novel, originally written in Spanish and translated into English by Lisa Dillman, is a masterful blend of myth, language, and social commentary, offering a unique perspective on the immigrant experience.
The Journey as a Metaphor
At its core, Signs Preceding the End of the World is a modern-day odyssey. Makina, a young woman from a small Mexican town, embarks on a perilous journey to the United States to deliver a message from her mother to her brother, who has migrated north. Her journey is not just a physical crossing of borders but also a passage through layers of identity and existence. The novel’s structure mirrors the nine levels of the Aztec underworld, Mictlán, framing Makina’s journey as a descent into a realm of uncertainty and transformation. This mythological framework elevates her story from a simple tale of migration to a universal exploration of human resilience and adaptation.
Herrera’s use of the underworld as a metaphor underscores the liminality of Makina’s experience. She exists in a state of in-betweenness, neither fully rooted in her homeland nor fully integrated into the new world she enters. This liminality is reflected in the novel’s language, which is rich with neologisms and hybrid expressions, mirroring the blending of cultures and identities that define the migrant experience. Herrera’s prose is sparse yet poetic, capturing the disorientation and fluidity of Makina’s journey.
Language as a Border
One of the most striking aspects of Signs Preceding the End of the World is its exploration of language as both a barrier and a bridge. Makina, who works as a switchboard operator in her hometown, is a mediator of communication, a role that mirrors her broader function as a bridge between worlds. Her ability to navigate multiple languages and dialects becomes a survival tool, allowing her to adapt to the shifting landscapes she encounters. However, language also serves as a reminder of her outsider status, as she is often forced to code-switch and negotiate her identity in a world that views her as “other.”
Herrera’s inventive use of language challenges the reader to reconsider the power dynamics embedded in communication. Words like jarchar (to leave) and vanagloria (a blend of vanity and glory) are not just linguistic innovations but also reflections of the novel’s themes. They highlight the ways in which language can both constrain and liberate, serving as a tool of oppression for some and a means of resistance for others.
The writing style of Signs Preceding the End of the World is one of its most distinctive and celebrated features. Yuri Herrera’s prose is sparse, poetic, and deeply evocative, blending elements of myth, realism, and linguistic innovation to create a narrative that feels both timeless and urgently contemporary.
Economy of Language
Herrera’s writing is marked by its brevity and precision. The novel is relatively short, yet every word carries weight, contributing to the story’s emotional and thematic depth. This economy of language mirrors the precariousness of Makina’s journey—there is no room for excess or frivolity in a world where survival depends on adaptability and resourcefulness. The sparse prose also reflects the stark realities of migration, where every decision and action has profound consequences.
For example, Herrera often conveys complex emotions and ideas in just a few sentences. When Makina reflects on her identity, she says, “I’m dead, she thought, but no, I’m not dead, I’m here.” This simple yet profound statement captures the liminality of her existence, caught between life and death, belonging and alienation. The brevity of the prose forces the reader to slow down and engage deeply with the text, uncovering layers of meaning beneath the surface.
Mythological Undertones
Herrera infuses the novel with mythological and symbolic elements, drawing on the structure of the Aztec underworld, Mictlán, to frame Makina’s journey. This mythological framework elevates the narrative from a simple migration story to a universal exploration of transformation and rebirth. The nine chapters of the novel correspond to the nine levels of Mictlán, each representing a stage of Makina’s descent into the unknown and her eventual emergence as a transformed individual.
The use of myth allows Herrera to explore timeless themes such as death, rebirth, and the hero’s journey, while also grounding the story in the specific realities of contemporary migration. This blending of the mythical and the mundane creates a sense of timelessness, suggesting that Makina’s journey is not just a personal or historical event but a fundamental human experience.
Linguistic Innovation
One of the most striking aspects of Herrera’s writing is his inventive use of language. He creates neologisms and hybrid words that reflect the blending of cultures and identities in the borderlands. For example, the word “jarchar” (to leave) is a blend of Spanish and English, capturing the fluidity of language in a world where borders are constantly crossed and redefined. Similarly, “vanagloria” (a mix of vanity and glory) reflects the duality of human ambition and pride.
These linguistic innovations serve multiple purposes. They highlight the ways in which language evolves and adapts in response to cultural and social changes, mirroring the experiences of migrants who must navigate multiple linguistic and cultural landscapes. They also challenge the reader to engage with the text on a deeper level, as the unfamiliar words force us to reconsider our assumptions about language and meaning.
Herrera’s use of language is also deeply poetic. He often employs metaphor and imagery to convey complex ideas and emotions. For instance, when describing the border, he writes, “The earth is alive, it breathes and shifts and swallows.” This personification of the borderland captures its dynamic and unpredictable nature, as well as its capacity to both nurture and destroy.
Tone and Atmosphere
The tone of the novel is often somber and reflective, reflecting the gravity of Makina’s journey and the broader themes of loss and transformation. However, there are also moments of dark humor and irony, particularly in Makina’s interactions with others. Herrera’s ability to balance these tonal shifts adds depth and complexity to the narrative, preventing it from becoming overly bleak or one-dimensional.
The atmosphere of the novel is deeply immersive, drawing the reader into Makina’s world through vivid sensory details and evocative descriptions. Whether describing the bustling streets of a Mexican town or the eerie silence of the desert, Herrera creates a strong sense of place that grounds the story in its physical and cultural context. This attention to detail enhances the novel’s realism, even as it incorporates mythological and symbolic elements.
Narrative Perspective
The novel is written in the third person, but the narrative is closely aligned with Makina’s perspective, allowing the reader to experience the world through her eyes. This narrative choice creates a sense of intimacy and immediacy, drawing us into Makina’s thoughts and emotions as she navigates the challenges of her journey. At the same time, the third-person perspective allows for a degree of detachment, enabling Herrera to explore broader themes and ideas without being limited by Makina’s subjective experience.
The narrative also shifts seamlessly between the past and present, reflecting the fluidity of time and memory in Makina’s journey. This temporal fluidity mirrors the novel’s exploration of liminality, suggesting that the boundaries between past and present, life and death, are not as fixed as they might seem.
Yuri Herrera’s writing style in Signs Preceding the End of the World is a masterful blend of economy, poetry, and innovation. Through his sparse yet evocative prose, mythological undertones, and inventive use of language, Herrera creates a narrative that is both deeply personal and universally resonant. The novel’s style reflects its themes of liminality, transformation, and the fluidity of borders, challenging the reader to engage with the text on multiple levels.
Herrera’s writing is not just a vehicle for the story but an integral part of its meaning, embodying the novel’s exploration of identity, language, and the human experience. In Signs Preceding the End of the World, style and substance are inextricably linked, resulting in a work that is as thought-provoking as it is beautifully crafted.
The Fluidity of Borders
The novel’s title, Signs Preceding the End of the World, suggests an apocalyptic tone, but the “end of the world” here is not a cataclysmic event so much as a transformation of identity and belonging. For Makina, crossing the border into the United States is akin to entering a new world, one that demands a renegotiation of her sense of self. The border itself is portrayed not as a fixed line but as a permeable, ever-shifting space that defies easy categorization. This fluidity is echoed in the novel’s structure, which blurs the boundaries between reality and myth, past and present, life and death.
Herrera’s depiction of the border challenges the dehumanizing rhetoric often associated with migration. Instead of portraying migrants as faceless statistics or threats, he presents them as individuals with complex histories and aspirations. Makina’s journey is marked by encounters with other migrants, each of whom carries their own stories of loss and hope. These interactions underscore the shared humanity of those who cross borders, challenging the reader to empathize with their struggles.
Conclusion
Signs Preceding the End of the World is a profound meditation on the immigrant experience, offering a perspective that is both deeply rooted in Mexican culture and universally relevant. Through Makina’s journey, Yuri Herrera explores the liminal spaces that define our lives—the borders between nations, languages, and identities. The novel’s poetic language and mythological undertones elevate it beyond a simple narrative of migration, transforming it into a timeless exploration of what it means to exist in a world of constant flux.
In a time when borders and migration are often reduced to political talking points, Herrera’s work serves as a reminder of the human stories behind these issues. Signs Preceding the End of the World is not just a novel about crossing borders; it is a testament to the resilience and adaptability of the human spirit, a celebration of the ways in which we navigate the liminal spaces of our lives and emerge transformed.
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