Demons and Spirits

You aspect to learn a little about God, angels and the afterlife during biblical literature, but some of the funnest things I have got to read about are all the little spirits and devils that are mentioned in The Slave. From the beginning, Wanda questions all of the unexplainable things that happen in the world. In the beginning of the book she is like an eight year old girl hiding from the monster in her closet. She has herself running through the meadow scared of her own shadow.

"Hostile imps and derisive spirits were abroad, she knew. They might play nasty pranks on her. A rock might be put in the path; the imps might swing from the pitchers and make them heavier; they might weave elflocks in her hair or dirty the milk with devil's dung."

In these people's world of uncertainty, everything is explained with evil creatures and spirits. Wanda even accuses Jacob of sorcery for the amount that she loves him. Even though she has never seen any of these malevolent spirits she still fully believes in them.

When the condition of the town is discussed, there is usually a demon or spirit that was behind the situation. Polonidca, Dizwosina, and Skrzots were all spirits that had affected the crops in years past. All of these spirits seem to live off of the demise of regular people. Skrzota,"As was well known, it came from an egg which had been hatched in a human armpit. Even though Jacob is apprehensive about listening to these pagan ideals, he has his own superstitions as well. Most of which are dealt with in the Bible. The Bible doesn't have an account of most of the demons discussed in this novel, which shows how much pagan religion may have been forgotten or how important folklore was to communities.