Tétiyette and the Devil

“Tétiyette and the Devil” is a short story that is told by a young Guadeloupean seventeen-year-old girl in Creole. The story begins with “once upon a time" which cause the reader to believe this is a story like that of a fairytale with your typical happily ever after ending. Tétiyette was the only daughter of her parents and was very hard to please. Her mother is trying to find her a husband but none of the men are good enough for her. The men are referenced as ugly animals like a pig, goat, and the devil. When the devil finally approached the house and asked to be with Tétiyette, she accepted. He wore his best suit and was decked out in gold and beautiful clothing. After Tétiyette agreed to marry this handsome man her mother tried to warn her of him. She gave her a handkerchief and a pin and told her daughter to stick him when he went to sleep. If blood flowed, it was believed that he was a human being but if slime oozed out then he was the devil. Tétiyette tested the stick on herself and her new husband. Her husband slimed but she had blood flow. She showed this to her mom to deceive her that her husband bled so she would be proud of the husband she chose. After the honeymoon days passed, the devil began to eat her. She cried out to her mother in law, mother, father, and lastly her brother. No one came to her aide until her brother felt sorry for her because she was his only sibling. The little brother said: “oh no! Oh no! She’s my sister, she’s my only sister and she’s being eaten up! Oh no! Oh no! “(Esteves, Carmen C., and Lizabeth Paravisini-Gebert,1991 p. 4).” He ran to the kitchen where he grabbed a knife and slit the devil’s stomach open and his sister emerged all whole. 

In my opinion, I think this story was written to remind young girls not to lose themselves and forget who they are when looking for their soul mate. It is easy to see someone as someone they are pretending to be and not who they truly are.