Still Water Saints Essay

Gabrielle Olivieri
Professor Batty
May 10, 2016
Perla; The Healer, The Teacher and The Leader
The novel Stillwater Saints by Alex Espinosa is about a year in the life of Agua
Mansa, a town with a large latino population on the outskirts of Los Angeles. It is home
to a botanica, a shop that sells herbs, candles, incense and other items used for spiritual
purpose. Perla Portillo, the owner is well known thoughout the community for providing
her clients with the things they need to overcome their problems. There is Rosa, an
overweight teenager trying to loose weight and become more confident; Juan, a man who
has just lost his father; Nancy, a married teacher; Rodrigo, a homeless kid who does not
know much English; Azucar, a transvestite who finds a baby, and Shawn and drug addict.
Each section of the book focuses on one character and and how Perla interacts with them
to help them with their problems. Even though their are many characters in this novel,
Perla is the most saintlike because she fills various roles for different members of her
community by serving as a teacher, a healer and a spiritual leader.
When members of the community have problems, of any kind they go to the
botanica to see the local healer, Perla. She practices her own special kind of "white
magic". White magic is good and is for other people unlike black magic which is evil and
is uses for bad purposes. After a brief chat, she gives each customer a package made up
of teas, herbs, and candles depending on their situation.
Throughout the book, we come across two characters that help each other and
bring out the best in each other. First we have Rosa. Rosa is the sixteen year old girl who
is overweight. Her mother brings her to the botanica so Perla can find a remedy to cure
her obesity. Perla gives Rosa this tea made out of wood chips and her mother harps on her
to drink it every day so she can loose weight. Soon, Rosa got a job and there she met a
co-worker named Miguel. Miguel is twenty five years old and wants to hang out with
Rosa. Rosa says yes and lies to her mother about hanging out with him, saying she is
working later than she really is just to hang out with him. While constantly hanging out
after work, Miguel and Rosa get to know each other a little bit better. Rosa finds out that
Juan had just gotten out of jail and is on parole and Miguel finds out that Rosa is self
concious about herself and her mom is making her drink the tea from Perla to help loose
weight. Miguel insists that Rosa is perfect just the way she is and gives her confidence
she needs. Soon, Rosa realizes she dosen't need the tea anymore and her and in the future,
they end up getting married. Even though Rosa stopped drinking the special tea, Rosa
still continued to visit Perla at the botanica.
Perla serves as a healer. She helps heal many including Teresa. . Teresa is a
therapist but also a client of Perlas. Perla faces many problems herself such as
depression. In the second section of the book, we find out that Perla is lonely and
depressed, despite her interactions with the people of Agua Mansa. We find out that Perla
had lost her husband and does not have any kids due to complications with her husband.
She had always wanted children but her husband did not want them to have any since he
was not sterile. Perla begged and begged for them to try adopting or for another solution
but he always said no. After her husband passed away, the only thing she had left was the
botanical and the clients. Everyone in the book just assumed that Perla was happy with
her life but were shocked when they found out how lonely she was. I believe that Perla
suffers from smiling depression. Smiling depression is basically a mask that people
wear to hide their sadness. Approximately 10 percent of the United States population is
suffering from depression, which is 10 times more than those suffering from bipolar
disorder (1 percent) and schizophrenia (1 percent). Rita Labeaune argues. So it is very
easy to believe that Perla is suffering from some sort of depression. Perla interacting
with people and helping them out at the Botanica is an example of this. Some signs of
smiling depression is depressed mood (feeling extremely sad, hopeless, discouraged or
empty) most of the day, every day and also Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt.
This is why Perla goes to Teresa for therapy. Teresa also goes to Perla for tea so they both
serve as patients towards each other.
Perla also heals by providing others with medicine for other people. Nancy, a daughter
of a racist dad, marries a man named Daryl. Her father was not very happy at all and she
cuts off her relationship with her father. Soon, her father develops diabetes and she
decides to go to Perlas shop for medicine for him because the modern medicine was not
working. Even though she cut off contact with her father, she still decides to do the good
thing and get him medicine. Perla provides her with the medicine she needs for her father
and tries to fix her relationship with him . All of this is because of Perla.
Along with all of these characteristics, Perla is also a teacher. One day, a boy
mysteriously shows up at her shop in the pouring rain. She tells him to come back the
next day so he did. When he came back, he introduced himself as Rodrigo. Perla was
curious to where he lived and where he came from. She was concerned about the burn
marks all over his body and found out that he was from the slums. He told her that he
didt speak english well and the only words he knew in English were bad words. He
wanted her to teach him how to speak English so she did.
Out of all of the characters Espinosa mentions in Still Water Saints, I have come
to a conclusion that Perla is the most helpful, caring, selfless individual in the book. This
makes her saintlike. She interacts with each and every individual and doing this makes
her happy.

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Gabrielle Olivieri

May 10, 2016

Perla; The Healer, The Teacher and The Leader

community by serving as a teacher, a healer and a spiritual leader.

of teas, herbs, and candles depending on their situation.

still continued to visit Perla at the botanica.

disorder (1 percent) and schizophrenia (1 percent). Rita Labeaune argues. So it is very

smiling depression is depressed mood (feeling extremely sad, hopeless, discouraged or

serve as patients towards each other.

wanted her to teach him how to speak English so she did.

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