Shadowshaper

In Chapter 25, Bennie has an emotional moment when she realizes Vincent’s mural is fading: “Bennie looked like the wind had just been knocked out of her. ‘You can barely even see it anymore,’ she said under her breath” (167). Throughout Shadowshapers, Sierra has been learning that her art can give the spirits of the dead a second life. Her supernatural abilities allow the dead to live on in a different form. This moment of the text reminds us that, even without supernatural abilities, artwork can be a way to help us remember those who have passed on. The spirits of the dead, like Vincent, symbolically receive a second life when pictures, stories, songs, and other pieces of art commemorate them. Seeing Vincent’s mural fading, Bennie worries that she is losing a piece of her brother. Without the mural there to remind everyone of who Vincent was, many people will likely begin to forget him and his untimely death. That is why it’s so important for Sierra, and others like her, to use their talents to help the dead live on for those who love and remember them.

Referencing Vincent’s death also reminds the reader of the strained relationship between Sierra’s community and the police. Vincent was killed by police officers, and in Chapter 26, we see how incidents like these have shaped a sense of distrust between the police and Sierra’s friends. After Sierra, Bennie, Jerome, Tee, and Izzy find Manny’s body, the group anonymously calls 9-1-1 to tell them where to find him. Then the group lingers in the area, “trying to act as casual as possible” as they start up a conversation with the medic to find out what happened to Manny (174). While some readers might find it strange that Sierra’s friends wouldn’t just call the police directly, this moment shows us how distrustful Sierra and the others are of police officers. Vincent, a boy they all knew and grew up with, was killed by the police for non-violent behavior; being people of color from a low-income neighborhood, Sierra and the others have no reason to believe that they won’t receive the same treatment. Though they recognize the usefulness of the police in situations such as this, the wary group of friends opts to keep their distance. Older uses this moment to reinforce the social issue of police brutality and to indicate to his readers that not everyone has grown up believing that the police will serve and protect them. 

Sierra has learned in previous chapters that her artistic abilities can be used to shadowshape, and earlier Juan explained to her that Grandpa Lázaro used his gift as a storyteller to give the spirits of the dead a second life. In Chapter 27, Sierra gets to see firsthand how Juan uses his own talent, music, to bring spirits to life: “The shadows spun faster, their long strides reaching over the heads of the writhing crowd” (179). Sierra, Lázaro, and Juan all come from the same family, yet their talents and shadowshaping abilities are all unique to them individually. Since shadowshaping is meant to help commemorate the dead, Older suggests here that any talent can contribute to keeping the spirits of those who have passed alive, whether through supernatural means or otherwise. Lázaro’s storytelling, Sierra’s artistry, and Juan’s music each allow them a different way to pay honor to the spirits of the dead, and Older further suggests that the highest form of art is when it is used as a tribute to those we love.

Sierra also sees how that relationship is reciprocal. Just as Juan’s music encourages the spirits to mimic the living in being “so full of life” (179), Sierra also sees how the spirits protect Juan from danger. As Sierra watches Juan play, she notices the spirits congregating above him: “The spirits were protecting Juan, Sierra realized. He didn’t need her warning about Wick; he was safe” (179). Similarly, in earlier chapters, Sierra finds out that the spirits have kept her safe, too, by sending Juan to her when she was being attacked by the throng haint. In many Latin cultures, it is believed that the spirits of beloved ancestors continue to watch over the living and guide and protect them. Older reflects this belief by showing the spirits quite literally stepping in to save Juan and Sierra, standing on guard near them to keep them out of harm’s way. Shadowshapers like Sierra help the spirits to have second lives, and the spirits in turn help the shadowshapers to live their lives to the fullest.