Bee Dorcus - the Wine of Astonishment

"If you get tired the whole world fall down"

- Bee Dorcus

Bee Dorcus first appears in chapter one as he and Eva talk to Reggie after he failed the scholarship exam to a free school. He is the head of the Spiritual Baptist church in the community and married to Eva Dorcus who is the narrator of the story. He has four children: Winston, Taffy, Joyce and Reggie. He has to bear a lot of the trouble which the community faces because of his role as the church leader and because of this it gives him a somewhat pessimistic view on society.

There isn't much in the book on how bee looked but from reading you can deduce that he was dark skin, had broad shoulders with a big build and probably had a rundown look due to the tiredness and pressure which he felt from being the person everyone looked up to in the community. He was also described as being a good husband and father and a person that was willing to do anything to protect the people he loved. This is shown by the countless things which he did to help his church when being a spiritual Baptist was illegal.

To really see why bee was the way he was you would have to take a good look at where he was living. Bonasse was a town in Trinidad where the people were very amiable and co-operative towards each other. Everyone was dependent upon each other causing the town to be very inter-related. People would come together in the one church and worship in harmony and even at Buntin's shop to gather on evenings and argue amongst themselves about history and past heroes. It was a big family until that fateful time of the war where the Americans came and slowly washed away our culture and everything it stood for. Suddenly both the town and the townsfolk became what they were not, Americans. The clothing became shorter, the people became less cordial, everything became more materialistic and the town he knew as Bonasse was gone.

We would also have to look at the issues which bee faced. As the leader of the Spiritual Baptist church, a social and political figure to represent the village and also a husband to Eva and a father of four children, he is put under a lot of stress and has many important decisions to make which will reflect his role as leader and father. Bee is a man of faith, patience, and a man of his people. Bee chooses a path of empowerment for the people of the village that is defined by his character and he guides the people to the path of faith. Bee puts the people of the village first for he is a man of the people. He puts his faith in the Spirit, and the people to stay strong.

As leader of the church, Bee plays a vital role in the community. The people rely on him to be a true leader and help their village. In the incident when Corporal Prince raids the church Bee's first thoughts were for the people. Bee realizes that for the benefit of his people they, he must wait, be patient