Spirituality

Mysticism and spiritual beings are important in Marley's upbringing and an integral part of the Jamaican culture. When Marley is born, his grandfather Omeriah realizes that there is a bad spirit that follows Marley, although he is not sure why. He notes that someone wants Marley dead and he is confused by it. However, he recognizes that Marley is special and separate from the rest of the relatives.

When Marley is young, he starts to read people's palms. He is remarkably successful at it, but decides to stop doing it. Marley and the Jamaican culture at large have strong beliefs about what happens when a person dies and in particular, what happens to their spirits. Duppy spirits can harm a person and the Jamaican people work hard to avoid curses or evil duppys. Omeriah believes that an evil duppy has attached itself to Marley as a young child...