Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Consider the dichotomy between the words tradition and modernity. How are these two words different? How do they work in tandem?

Teaching Suggestion: This question invites students to consider the theme of Tradition Versus Modernity from a theoretical standpoint. For Benitez, these two dichotomous terms exist in tandem; as one pushes, the other pulls. Individuals in the community of Santiago must navigate their daily lives negotiating this relationship. You may wish to revisit this question after students have read Chapters 1-5, asking for examples. For instance, characters must manage superstitions in the form of religious and spiritual traditions while also falling prey to the economic lure of modernity and financial prosperity. Ultimately, the character of Remedios functions as the sole link to Santiago’s cultural history who is able to resist the temptation of modernity, and understands the cyclical nature of Life and Death.

• This article from the 2008 edition of the Revue Française de Sociologie discusses the dichotomy of tradition and modernity in an academic study exploring European values.