Tétiyette and the Devil

“Tétiyette and the Devil,” which is the opening  for a collection of short stories told by Caribbean women in Green Cane and Juicy Flotsam, is a narrative folktale that took place at Guadeloupe.  The content of the story is about a young girl who disregards her parents’ caution to get married with a devil, which gave her an unforgettable lesson about judging thing by its cover as well as the importance of choices in life. 

Moreover, why did the author use the image of the a goat and pig ? This is actually a device in writing called metaphor, which is an indirect way to refer to the guys whose not good looking. When the devil represents to the cunning and evil temptation in real life. Besides that, there is also a background to call attention to the devil’s charisma, which mostly attracts the young girl. However, since Guadeloupe is an island with a history of slavery for hundreds of years, the context of this story could be occurred in a poor farmer family. Therefore, being enchanted by flashy exterior is a understandable thing. 

From personal perspective, this story carries a deeply profound meaning which indicates the Caribbean woman’s resignation in marriage. On the wedding night, the girl discovered her husband was the devil through the detail “when she stuck her husband, slime oozed out” and the act of washing the handkerchief then she “stucks herself with the pin” (2). She knew the fact that her husband is not a human being, but she chose to live with it. This marriage is her choice, so she cannot blame on her parents for marrying her the devil. Tétiyette is supposed to earn the outcome that she deserve. In additional, the reason why the girl wants to marry the devil is because of his good looking, and the devil marries the girl just for his cruel conspiracy to eat her, which symbolize a marriage without love will never be a lasting one. 

This story is recorded by a young Guadeloupan girl, so the intended audience that the author wants to target is adult but especially are young girls who are at marriage age . The purpose of the author in telling this tory is to allow the reader to learn the valuable lessons of humanities as well as a great way to pass on the traditional funeral tale to the next generations. After reading this story, there are layered messages that the author wants to convey. First of all, the cornerstone of a relationship should be derived from sincerity. People who just come for profit or bad intent deserve a bad consequence. Furthermore, it is a lesson about love is that materials and beauty is just a cover of a book. It cannot determine the inside nature. 

Works About 

“Tétiyette and the Devil.” Translated by Lizabeth Paravisini-Gebert. In Green Cane and Juicy Flotsam: Short Stories by Caribbean Women. Carmen C. Esteves and Lizabeth Paravisini-Gebert, editors, 1971.