Blog 4: Mimicking Religion

Thoughts of mimesis always remind of grade-school, when the teacher would assert that “mimicry is the sincerest form of flattery.” However, mimesis does not always carry that positive connotation. In “On the Mimetic Faculty,” Benjamin asserts that mimicry is an innate part of human nature, that “nature produces similarities” (720). He goes further on to claim that language is the “highest level of mimetic behavior” (722) and that mimetic faculty is a historical product that has changed throughout the years. Mimesis, in his eyes, is a way of expressing oneself. In the same context, Bhabha too believes that mimesis is a way of expressing oneself. However, he maintains the idea that mimicry is a form of power and that many inflict mimicry onto others as a way to oppress (ex. Colonialism). A fundamental difference between their two points of view is that mimesis is forced in Bhabha’s theory and natural in Benjamin’s.

In Rolling the R’s, the chapter entitled “Bino and Rowena Make a Litany to our Lady of the Mount” consists of a long prayer. Mimicking the style of a sincere litany, Bino and Rowena attempt to gain power through their altered version of a religious prayer. They mingled prayers for the “Holy sister of Marcia, Jan, and Cindy” Brady and the “Queen of VISA, MasterCard, & American Express”  (30) along with thanks for the Lord, “father of heaven and earth” and pleads for “god to have mercy on us” (28). I find this particular section interesting because it seems to almost go against Bhabha’s theory that mimicry is a way to oppress others. In this section of the novel, the mimicry allows the characters to address their oppressor and then disrespect it. They liberate themselves by changing the words, turning a serious religious practice into a hilarious prayer to pop culture. Through their mimesis, they rebel against the Church and its domination.