Allusions to Vampires in “Mang Minno” In “Mang Minno”, a short story within ‘Where The Elephants Dance’ by Tess U Holthe , a young boy named Roman encounters a man named Mang Minno, who is believed by the island people to be Jonah from the Bible. When Roman meets him, he wishes to learn how to catch fish, so that he can show them to his father. He thinks that all he is getting himself involved in is a method with which to gain large amounts of fish, very quickly. However, he soon finds that he is getting involved in something far more sinister. As the story progresses, it becomes clear the Mang Minno is some sort of evil entity. However, without looking for clues as to who and what Mang Minno is, this story cannot be fully …show more content…

Mang Minno wants Roman to take his amulet and replace him, which he talks about: “The darkening comes once every twenty years. This is the only time the amulet can be transferred to the successor” (98). This relates to vampires because vampires also want to make more vampires. They don’t simply act evil, they spread evil. Near the end of the story, Mang Minno almost succeeds in transferring his amulet to Roman (103). The only thing preventing him is Roger, Roman’s brother. His actions are detailed in the story: “He was holding a crucifix and saying a different prayer, in the ancient language of the Morro people, the people of the mountains” (103-104). It is hinted throughout the story that Roman’s grandfather knows who Mang Minno is and how dangerous he is. He collaborates with Roger to save Roman. Roger was holding the crucifix because his grandfather instructed him to, which all but guarantees that Mang Minno is indeed a vampire. These obvious references at the end of the story are important because they help the reader know that Mang Minno is a vampire, and help the reader also know what his motivations are like. In conclusion, “Mang Minno” makes a number of allusions to vampires, which hint that the antagonist is a vampire and help define what the evil in the story is. These allusions also help clarify the reasons for events in the story: Why Mang Minno