Saravia 1

Gabriel Saravia

English 101

31, May 2017

Professor Batty

Every Day Saints

In every Hispanic community there springs up a spiritual store or center and in the case of Agua

Mansa it is Perla's store. Perla's botanica is small but it plays a huge role in her community. Through this

small shop her mentor Dario and eventually Perla herself become symbols of help and wisdom in the

community. I believe that Perla is the most saint-like person in the book. She inherited the small shop

from the mysterious man named Dario who entered her life during a difficult time. She was unable to

have a child with her husband and then lost her husband soon after. She had a very lonely life until she

Inherited the store from Dario and became a saint within the community. Although she can't save

everyone Perla is saint like in her gift, her willingness to help , and her spiritual leadership.

What we know about Perla begins years ago when she was a house wife trying to conceive a

child with her husband. She walks into the new botanica that everyone else had been avoiding because

of some of its relations to practices of Santeria. Little did they know how similar Santeria is to

Catholicism as a religion and in practices. "Santera emerged in proximity to the Catholic Church, and

the similar spiritual hierarchies made for easy comparisons: Orishas have long been compared with
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saints."(Darity 324). The main rituals practiced and artifacts used in the botanica are similar to the ones

used in Santeria rituals used to petition the Orishas for balance in life. It is her curiosity toward the

various aspects of Santeria and other religious symbols and images that she enters the small store and

meets Dario. After a few more meeting with the store owner her informs her that she will not be able to

ever have a child. He also convinces her that she has a gift, el don and that she should become his

apprentice and learn how to heal people. "But Dario had said she had el don, the gift. It was strong in

her. He had said so. And there were times she had believed him."(Espinoza11). Perla becomes Dario's

apprentice because she has a gift. I believe that the shop becomes a way for her to be able to experience

taking care of a family she never had. She spent all her time at the botanica and learned all the rituals

Dario knew. Later Dario informed her that he would be moving on. He had decided it was time to move

on and start another botanica once again leaving her alone. Despite this, she has gone from a very lonely

woman to a pillar in her community.

One of the main reasons that Perla is so beloved in the community is her willingness to help

anyone in any situation. People go to her for advice and solutions to their problems as she is seen as a

sort of spiritual leader. During the beginning of the story we learn of a young woman struggling with her

weight. Rosa goes to the store to buy a special tea from Perla that will help her lose the weight. She feels

pressure from her mother to exercise and drink this tea she doesnt really like. "Just look at yourself.

Look at that body. Do you want to go on living like that?'(Espinoza 24). Although she has no medical

experience Rosa and her mother continue to go to Perla because they believe in her ability to heal people

and her judgment. The two have an interaction where Perla asks if Rosa thinks she needs the tea. Rosa

responds no and Perla takes the tea back and give her the money back. A spiritual leader must put the

needs of the community ahead of themselves. "the leader must first be a servant of others. It suggests
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that leaders must place the needs of subordinates, customers, and the community ahead of their own

interests in order to be effective (Helms 811). This shows her commitment to her customers physical

and phycological health above her profits. This gives Rosa the confidence to stand up to her mother and

helps her accept and love herself. This scene shows that Perla is a wise and Perla is not only a healer but

a spiritual leader.

Although she does a lot of good Perla is not perfect. Sometime it takes more than wise advice or

a helping hand. During the course of the story Perla meets a young man named Rodrigo. This young

man came into Perla's life very unexpectedly and in desperate need of help. Rodrigo had crossed the

border recently into the United States in hopes of finding work to help support his family back home.

The man who helped him cross then sold him into a life of prostitution. He was under constant threat of

death but risked his well-being to approach Perla for help. Although a bit reluctant at first Perla great to

care greatly for the well-being of Rodrigo and tried to help him by teaching him a bit of English and

trying to get help from the proper authorities, Unfortunately her help came a little too late and Rodrigo

disappeared without a trace. Her inability to be there for Rodrigo and not know what happened to him

really affect Perla negatively on an emotional level increasing her self-doubt. Perla chooses to continue

her work despite this tragedy and continues to try to be a source of help and support in her community.

Many people will say that it is not fair to compare a simple shop owner to a revered saint.

Although no church ever recognized Perla as a saint she might as well be one. Though her own life is

marked with sadness she is persistently trying to help others and support her community. She constantly

struggles with doubting herself and with her loneliness but manages to be a source of happiness and
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positivity to her customers and neighbors. Throughout the book she constantly mentions that she wishes

Dario was still with her because he always knew exactly what to do in any situation and although she

doubts herself she struggles through her own problems in order to be ready to help the people in her

community.
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Works Cited

Barnett, Tim. "Spirituality in Leadership." Encyclopedia of Management, edited by Marilyn M. Helms,

5th ed., Gale, 2006, pp. 811-813. Gale Virtual Reference Library, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?

p=GVRL&sw=w&u=lavc_main&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CCX3446300267&it=r. Accessed 10 May 2017.

Espinoza, Alex. Still Water Saints. Random House, 2007.

"Santera." International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, edited by William A. Darity, Jr., 2nd

ed., vol. 7, Macmillan Reference USA, 2008, pp. 324-326. Gale Virtual Reference Library,

go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GVRL&sw=w&u=lavc_main&v=2.1&id=GALE

%7CCX3045302332&it=r. Accessed 10 May 2017.