roots in the heart

"'The deeper the plan's roots go into the earth, the more difficult to wrest it free. Each step that Iracema takes on the path of departure is a root she casts into the heart of her guest'"

(Alencar, Iracema, p.55)

The quote for this weeks blog comes from Martim.  At this point in the story Martim, Poti and Iracema are fleeing from the Tabajára warriors.  Knowing the danger they are in, Martim tries to persuade Iracema to turn back.  What caught my attention was the poetic way Martim describes his feelings and plight.  For a tree it is advantageous to have deep roots.  Roots act as an anchor to hold the tree in place;  with deep roots it is able to withstand winds and storms. The opposite is true for a sapling with shallow roots--little effort is needed to uproot a young tree.

The developing relationship between Martim and Iracema is one we see all the time. Whether it's Shrek and Donkey or free young lovers, the message is the same; what starts out as a seed will eventually turn into something more.  A film that I recently saw illustrates this type of relationship very well but in an untraditional way.  The French movie entitled The Hedgehog, based on the book The Elegance of the Hedgehog, tells the story of a young girl, Paloma, who has decided to kill herself on her 12th birthday.  Her determinations to proceed with her suicide are interrupted when she begins to form unlikely friendships with her humble, adult neighbors.  The roots of love in her heart make her think differently about the world and her desire to be in it.  Although they have different implications, Martim's and Paloma's roots come from the same tree.

Think of hardest goodbye you've ever experienced.  Maybe it was the passing of a loved one, leaving for college or sending a relative to war.  Now compare those departures to graduating high school and saying, "so long" to Señora Cina, your spanish teacher. What's the difference?  The depth of our roots.  Martim knows that at some point he will have to say goodbye to Iracema, maybe later that night or years down the road, he doesn't know.  What he does know is that, the sooner he can uproot his feelings the easier it will be to move on.