The Kingdom Of This World

Content Warning: The source material and this guide contain references to enslavement, rape, suicide, and violence.

Ti Noël, Macandal, and other Black characters in the text see a clear opposition between their gods and the Christian god. They believe that the enslavers give away their power by confessing their sins, and they poke fun at a religion in which men do not commune directly with their gods. In addition, based on the actions of the enslavers, they believe that the Christian god demands their own enslavement and suffering.

Vodou thus becomes central to the Black Haitians’ rebellion against enslavement, both conceptually and practically. The enslaved Haitians have grown up with tales of loa who intervene directly in human affairs, and they call on them to intervene in everyday events. In addition, they believe this relationship grants them supernatural powers, including the power to spread poison and the power to become animals. They see evidence of their beliefs everywhere in nature, including in animals they believe are gods (or men) in disguise. Because the novella unfolds through the perspective of a believer (Ti Noël), there is some ambiguity surrounding whether these miraculous events actually occur.