The Kingdom Of This World

Carpentier describes his magical realism as inspired by the everyday “miraculous.” What small examples of magic appear in this novel? How do they shape Ti Noël’s experience?

Macandal develops an interest in poison and the ability to transfigure himself after losing an arm. What is the relationship between violence and supernatural power, as well as between disfigurement and the development of other senses?

This text is full of animals: livestock, dogs, and wild creatures. Discuss the imagery associated with two animals—cattle, dogs, horses, insects, etc.—throughout the text. What does each animal come to symbolize or signify? How does it interact with the white enslavers? With the Black enslaved workers?