This site requires Javascript to be turned on. Please enable Javascript and reload the page.

Postcolonial Speculative Fiction

The Inferiorizing of Nomadic Culture in "The Shadow Beast"

In Monster Portraits there is a short story called "The Shadow Beast," which is about a nomadic person who teaches the narrator of the story about his own shadow beast, an animal that is used for travel, shelter, clothing, sustenance, and more. As the rider talks, the narrator makes mental observations: "The nomads are excluded; they are outcasts…In their breasts beat the hearts of beasts…they have never been regarded as part of humanity."The rider says matter-of-factly to the narrator, "Look well into your past and you will know whom God loved." The narrator begins to think about what life was like for Cain, who was forced to live outside of his own people and among the beasts in the wilderness because he was not as good as his brother. After snapping back to reality, the narrator notes that she "felt sweaty, gritty. Longing for a hotel. The rider is right. Cain was the murderer but Abel was the monster."

Samatar's Connection to the story of Cain & Abel

Sofia Samatar grew up in a unique household: her father was Muslim and her mother was Mennonite. In an in-class interview, she talks about how conservatively she grew up due to both of the religious backgrounds of her parents and she was always very aware of balancing the traditions of both religions and cultures growing up. In "The Shadow Beast," Samatar references the Biblical story of Cain and Abel because she said that she wanted to attend to Abrahamic traditions that appear in Christianity, Muslim, and Islam. For those who aren't familiar with the story in Genesis 4:1-16, Cain and Abel were sons of Adam and Eve. Cain was a farmer and Abel was a shepherd; when they were asked to give an offering to God, Cain gave roots from the ground and Abel sacrificed one of his lambs. God believed that Cain's offering was not the best that could have been offered, as Abel's was. Cain's jealousy over his brother led him to murder Abel; when God asked where Abel was, Cain lied and said he was not his brother's keeper and did not know. As punishment God permanently marked Cain, cursing him so that he would never be able to successfully live in society again and making him a nomad for eternity.

Nomadic Life vs. Settler Life

The narrator's final realization points to the idea that because of Abel, nomadic culture became demonized. There is no arguing that Cain was guilty of killing his brother out of jealousy and he is in every way responsible for that action. However, Samatar hints that Abel is the true monster because his lifestyle was the preferred one of God; the product of Cain's labor that he sacrificed was not as good as his brother's, which ultimately made him the lesser brother. God's punishment was sentencing Cain to a nomadic lifestyle instead of a settler one, which inherently paints the former as evil or wrong. However, as the narrator in "The Shadow Beast" learns about the rider's lifestyle she realizes that it is just different from her own, not better or worse. The narrator reiterates that nomadic people are outcasts and seen as inferior by settled society, but as she spends more time with them (and craves the safety of being clean and confined in a hotel) she realizes that she is the inferior one in their culture. But her sudden consciousness of this dichotomy is only that; as the rider points out, there has always been a clear distinction between the two cultures. The idea that settling is not only better, but sanctioned by God, dates back to the story of Cain and Abel and set the precedent for the rest of existence.

This page has paths:

Contents of this path:

This page has replies:

The concept of vilifying a nomadic person is new to me and yet has been taught to me my whole life. People tend to be untrusting of people or families that have moved a lot. People prefer to assume the mover could not fit in, could not keep work, could not keep it together, or basically a social deviant. The only approved sector of American society that can be nomadic is military people. “Oh, you lived all over? Must have been military.” How many social norms reinforce a non-nomadic life and why? Is it we just prefer predictably and accountability of people? Were the historical carpet baggers just really bad people. Do we hate to see others finding and exerting their freedom?
Contents of this reply:
1. The Inferiorizing of Nomadic Culture in "The Shadow Beast" In Monster Portraits there is a short story called "The Shadow Beast," which  is about a nomadic person who teaches the narrator of the story about his own shadow beast, an animal that is used for travel, shelter, clothing, sustenance, and more. As the rider talks, the narrator makes mental observations: "The nomads are excluded; they are outcasts…In their breasts beat the hearts of beasts…they have never been regarded as part of humanity."The rider says matter-of-factly to the narrator, "Look well into your past and you will know whom God loved." The narrator begins to think about what life was like for Cain, who was forced to live outside of his own people and among the beasts in the wilderness because he was not as good as his brother. After snapping back to reality, the narrator notes that she "felt sweaty, gritty. Longing for a hotel. The rider is right. Cain was the murderer but Abel was the monster."
  Samatar's Connection to the story of Cain & Abel
  Sofia Samatar grew up in a unique household: her father was Muslim and her mother was Mennonite. In an in-class interview, she talks about how conservatively she grew up due to both of the religious backgrounds of her parents and she was always very aware of balancing the traditions of both religions and cultures growing up. In "The Shadow Beast," Samatar references the Biblical story of Cain and Abel because she said that she wanted to attend to Abrahamic traditions that appear in Christianity, Muslim, and Islam. For those who aren't familiar with the story in Genesis 4:1-16, Cain and Abel were sons of Adam and Eve. Cain was a farmer and Abel was a shepherd; when they were asked to give an offering to God, Cain gave roots from the ground and Abel sacrificed one of his lambs. God believed that Cain's offering was not the best that could have been offered, as Abel's was. Cain's jealousy over his brother led him to murder Abel; when God asked where Abel was, Cain lied and said he was not his brother's keeper and did not know. As punishment God permanently marked Cain, cursing him so that he would never be able to successfully live in society again and making him a nomad for eternity.
  Nomadic Life vs. Settler Life
              The narrator's final realization points to the idea that because of Abel, nomadic culture became demonized. There is no arguing that Cain was guilty of killing his brother out of jealousy and he is in every way responsible for that action. However, Samatar hints that Abel is the true monster because his lifestyle was the preferred one of God; the product of Cain's labor that he sacrificed was not as good as his brother's, which ultimately made him the lesser brother. God's punishment was sentencing Cain to a nomadic lifestyle instead of a settler one, which inherently paints the former as evil or wrong. However, as the narrator in "The Shadow Beast" learns about the rider's lifestyle she realizes that it is just different from her own, not better or worse. The narrator reiterates that nomadic people are outcasts and seen as inferior by settled society, but as she spends more time with them (and craves the safety of being clean and confined in a hotel) she realizes that she is the inferior one in their culture. But her sudden consciousness of this dichotomy is only that; as the rider points out, there has always been a clear distinction between the two cultures. The idea that settling is not only better, but sanctioned by God, dates back to the story of Cain and Abel and set the precedent for the rest of existence.
I had the same realization when Samatar mentioned this in the in-class interview. Our culture really does have such a negative attitude towards growing up and living in more than one place; kids tv shows, movies, and books always make a huge tragedy out of a character having to move away because they'll have to "start over." No one ever focuses on the positive and diverse experiences that people who move frequently have. Preparing to move to AZ has taught me how common it is for people to stay in one place as well as the expectations they have for everyone else to do the same. I've had so many people tell me I'm "brave" for moving within my own country, or ask me how I'm going to deal with not being close to my family. I really thought that this was just a part of life, but staying in the same area your entire life is way more common.
Contents of this reply:
1. The Inferiorizing of Nomadic Culture in "The Shadow Beast" In Monster Portraits there is a short story called "The Shadow Beast," which  is about a nomadic person who teaches the narrator of the story about his own shadow beast, an animal that is used for travel, shelter, clothing, sustenance, and more. As the rider talks, the narrator makes mental observations: "The nomads are excluded; they are outcasts…In their breasts beat the hearts of beasts…they have never been regarded as part of humanity."The rider says matter-of-factly to the narrator, "Look well into your past and you will know whom God loved." The narrator begins to think about what life was like for Cain, who was forced to live outside of his own people and among the beasts in the wilderness because he was not as good as his brother. After snapping back to reality, the narrator notes that she "felt sweaty, gritty. Longing for a hotel. The rider is right. Cain was the murderer but Abel was the monster."
  Samatar's Connection to the story of Cain & Abel
  Sofia Samatar grew up in a unique household: her father was Muslim and her mother was Mennonite. In an in-class interview, she talks about how conservatively she grew up due to both of the religious backgrounds of her parents and she was always very aware of balancing the traditions of both religions and cultures growing up. In "The Shadow Beast," Samatar references the Biblical story of Cain and Abel because she said that she wanted to attend to Abrahamic traditions that appear in Christianity, Muslim, and Islam. For those who aren't familiar with the story in Genesis 4:1-16, Cain and Abel were sons of Adam and Eve. Cain was a farmer and Abel was a shepherd; when they were asked to give an offering to God, Cain gave roots from the ground and Abel sacrificed one of his lambs. God believed that Cain's offering was not the best that could have been offered, as Abel's was. Cain's jealousy over his brother led him to murder Abel; when God asked where Abel was, Cain lied and said he was not his brother's keeper and did not know. As punishment God permanently marked Cain, cursing him so that he would never be able to successfully live in society again and making him a nomad for eternity.
  Nomadic Life vs. Settler Life
              The narrator's final realization points to the idea that because of Abel, nomadic culture became demonized. There is no arguing that Cain was guilty of killing his brother out of jealousy and he is in every way responsible for that action. However, Samatar hints that Abel is the true monster because his lifestyle was the preferred one of God; the product of Cain's labor that he sacrificed was not as good as his brother's, which ultimately made him the lesser brother. God's punishment was sentencing Cain to a nomadic lifestyle instead of a settler one, which inherently paints the former as evil or wrong. However, as the narrator in "The Shadow Beast" learns about the rider's lifestyle she realizes that it is just different from her own, not better or worse. The narrator reiterates that nomadic people are outcasts and seen as inferior by settled society, but as she spends more time with them (and craves the safety of being clean and confined in a hotel) she realizes that she is the inferior one in their culture. But her sudden consciousness of this dichotomy is only that; as the rider points out, there has always been a clear distinction between the two cultures. The idea that settling is not only better, but sanctioned by God, dates back to the story of Cain and Abel and set the precedent for the rest of existence.
Your ideas on Samatar's thoughts about the vision between the nomadic and settled lifestyle influenced some of my thoughts. I realized that the nomadic lifestyle would probably be frowned upon because these individuals are moving around; therefore, their identities are oftentimes hard to pin down as well. Nomadic communities cannot be purely put into one community like the individuals in settled communities. I think that Samatar could be tying in some cultural context with the idea of nomadic versus settled. Her parents to some degree could be counted as nomadic, and their lifestyle produced offspring that can't be categorized by society.
Contents of this reply:
1. The Inferiorizing of Nomadic Culture in "The Shadow Beast" In Monster Portraits there is a short story called "The Shadow Beast," which  is about a nomadic person who teaches the narrator of the story about his own shadow beast, an animal that is used for travel, shelter, clothing, sustenance, and more. As the rider talks, the narrator makes mental observations: "The nomads are excluded; they are outcasts…In their breasts beat the hearts of beasts…they have never been regarded as part of humanity."The rider says matter-of-factly to the narrator, "Look well into your past and you will know whom God loved." The narrator begins to think about what life was like for Cain, who was forced to live outside of his own people and among the beasts in the wilderness because he was not as good as his brother. After snapping back to reality, the narrator notes that she "felt sweaty, gritty. Longing for a hotel. The rider is right. Cain was the murderer but Abel was the monster."
  Samatar's Connection to the story of Cain & Abel
  Sofia Samatar grew up in a unique household: her father was Muslim and her mother was Mennonite. In an in-class interview, she talks about how conservatively she grew up due to both of the religious backgrounds of her parents and she was always very aware of balancing the traditions of both religions and cultures growing up. In "The Shadow Beast," Samatar references the Biblical story of Cain and Abel because she said that she wanted to attend to Abrahamic traditions that appear in Christianity, Muslim, and Islam. For those who aren't familiar with the story in Genesis 4:1-16, Cain and Abel were sons of Adam and Eve. Cain was a farmer and Abel was a shepherd; when they were asked to give an offering to God, Cain gave roots from the ground and Abel sacrificed one of his lambs. God believed that Cain's offering was not the best that could have been offered, as Abel's was. Cain's jealousy over his brother led him to murder Abel; when God asked where Abel was, Cain lied and said he was not his brother's keeper and did not know. As punishment God permanently marked Cain, cursing him so that he would never be able to successfully live in society again and making him a nomad for eternity.
  Nomadic Life vs. Settler Life
              The narrator's final realization points to the idea that because of Abel, nomadic culture became demonized. There is no arguing that Cain was guilty of killing his brother out of jealousy and he is in every way responsible for that action. However, Samatar hints that Abel is the true monster because his lifestyle was the preferred one of God; the product of Cain's labor that he sacrificed was not as good as his brother's, which ultimately made him the lesser brother. God's punishment was sentencing Cain to a nomadic lifestyle instead of a settler one, which inherently paints the former as evil or wrong. However, as the narrator in "The Shadow Beast" learns about the rider's lifestyle she realizes that it is just different from her own, not better or worse. The narrator reiterates that nomadic people are outcasts and seen as inferior by settled society, but as she spends more time with them (and craves the safety of being clean and confined in a hotel) she realizes that she is the inferior one in their culture. But her sudden consciousness of this dichotomy is only that; as the rider points out, there has always been a clear distinction between the two cultures. The idea that settling is not only better, but sanctioned by God, dates back to the story of Cain and Abel and set the precedent for the rest of existence.
Prior to reading this story I would have never considered Abel the monster. Of course, I also grew up in church and still consider myself religious. I was shocked that Cain to learn that Cain was pretty much the unwilling founder of nomad culture. I was very interested in what Samatar had to say about this one. I found myself equally shocked when I realized the degrading of nomad culture is a thing. Going a step further than just talking about people who move a lot, young adults who make decisions to travel rather than attend college immediately are practically burned at the stake by older generations. Why do you think younger generations are obsessed with traveling while older generations treat it like the end of the world?
Contents of this reply:
1. The Inferiorizing of Nomadic Culture in "The Shadow Beast" In Monster Portraits there is a short story called "The Shadow Beast," which  is about a nomadic person who teaches the narrator of the story about his own shadow beast, an animal that is used for travel, shelter, clothing, sustenance, and more. As the rider talks, the narrator makes mental observations: "The nomads are excluded; they are outcasts…In their breasts beat the hearts of beasts…they have never been regarded as part of humanity."The rider says matter-of-factly to the narrator, "Look well into your past and you will know whom God loved." The narrator begins to think about what life was like for Cain, who was forced to live outside of his own people and among the beasts in the wilderness because he was not as good as his brother. After snapping back to reality, the narrator notes that she "felt sweaty, gritty. Longing for a hotel. The rider is right. Cain was the murderer but Abel was the monster."
  Samatar's Connection to the story of Cain & Abel
  Sofia Samatar grew up in a unique household: her father was Muslim and her mother was Mennonite. In an in-class interview, she talks about how conservatively she grew up due to both of the religious backgrounds of her parents and she was always very aware of balancing the traditions of both religions and cultures growing up. In "The Shadow Beast," Samatar references the Biblical story of Cain and Abel because she said that she wanted to attend to Abrahamic traditions that appear in Christianity, Muslim, and Islam. For those who aren't familiar with the story in Genesis 4:1-16, Cain and Abel were sons of Adam and Eve. Cain was a farmer and Abel was a shepherd; when they were asked to give an offering to God, Cain gave roots from the ground and Abel sacrificed one of his lambs. God believed that Cain's offering was not the best that could have been offered, as Abel's was. Cain's jealousy over his brother led him to murder Abel; when God asked where Abel was, Cain lied and said he was not his brother's keeper and did not know. As punishment God permanently marked Cain, cursing him so that he would never be able to successfully live in society again and making him a nomad for eternity.
  Nomadic Life vs. Settler Life
              The narrator's final realization points to the idea that because of Abel, nomadic culture became demonized. There is no arguing that Cain was guilty of killing his brother out of jealousy and he is in every way responsible for that action. However, Samatar hints that Abel is the true monster because his lifestyle was the preferred one of God; the product of Cain's labor that he sacrificed was not as good as his brother's, which ultimately made him the lesser brother. God's punishment was sentencing Cain to a nomadic lifestyle instead of a settler one, which inherently paints the former as evil or wrong. However, as the narrator in "The Shadow Beast" learns about the rider's lifestyle she realizes that it is just different from her own, not better or worse. The narrator reiterates that nomadic people are outcasts and seen as inferior by settled society, but as she spends more time with them (and craves the safety of being clean and confined in a hotel) she realizes that she is the inferior one in their culture. But her sudden consciousness of this dichotomy is only that; as the rider points out, there has always been a clear distinction between the two cultures. The idea that settling is not only better, but sanctioned by God, dates back to the story of Cain and Abel and set the precedent for the rest of existence.

This page references:

Monster Portraits