| This is a story, set in the rural American south, family | | | | knows it is mostly a dream, and she knows that there |
| house in a pasture, in which an African-American | | | | is some pretentiousness and vanity in such shows, |
| mother, "Mama Johnson," who grew up in the early | | | | much of it scripted. Mama opines that in the TV |
| part of the past century, struggles to absorb, | | | | spotlight, it is people of such attributes as slender build |
| understand, evaluate and appreciate the ramifications | | | | ("hundred pounds lighter" than she is) and fair-skin ("like |
| of her strongly bucolic and dirty background in | | | | an uncooked barley pancake") that are preferred. She |
| comparison with a daughter (Dee) who had obtained | | | | displays unappreciation for staring straight into a |
| an impressive advanced formal education in Augusta | | | | ("white") stranger's eyes, and she was raised to be |
| in Georgia and migrated to work in an urban | | | | wary of whites. She marvels that Dee can look |
| environment. Mama, in several ways, views her other | | | | anyone in the eye, without hesitation. It is indeed a new |
| daughter, Maggie, who is in the comparison the less | | | | generation of blacks, and more are coming. Mama |
| fortunate one. Her ungenerous appearance partly | | | | knows that TV leaves out a lot of reality. She is a |
| stems from a house fire that left her with severe | | | | good example of reality, and she is proud of her |
| burns from which conspicuous scars remain. In Mama's | | | | bucolic strength: "In real life I am a large, big-boned |
| words: "Have you ever seen a lame animal, perhaps a | | | | woman with rough, man-working hands. ...I can kill and |
| dog run over by some careless person rich enough to | | | | clean a hog as mercilessly as a man." Unlike this era, |
| own a car, sidle up to someone who is ignorant | | | | such comparisons between masculine and feminine |
| enough to be kind to him? That is the way my Maggie | | | | strength seem to have been quite common. |
| walks. She has been like this, chin on chest, eyes on | | | | The visit, by Dee, to such close blood relatives that she |
| ground, feet in shuffle, ever since the fire that burned | | | | had not seen for years, is notably short. Mama and an |
| the other house to the ground. Dee is lighter-skinned | | | | intimidated Maggie are astounded by the glamorous, |
| than Maggie, has nicer hair and a fuller figure." | | | | brilliant, luxurious attire and jewelry on Dee. They are |
| The story begins with Mama and Maggie awaiting the | | | | also awe-struck by the appearance of her, "short, |
| visit of Dee. Despite Dee's being a direct blood relative, | | | | stocky," companion from the other side of the car. |
| the two went to great lengths, the previous afternoon | | | | Dee starts by uttering, "Wa-su-zo.Tean-o." Although, |
| to make the yard, "so clean and wavy." This is a | | | | nothing further is mentioned about those words, some, |
| moving short story that illustrates the conflicts | | | | with some knowledge of African languages would |
| between formal education, rural tradition, urban | | | | know that it stands for, "Wasuze otya nno?," 'How |
| modernism, culture, individualism, egocentrism, | | | | was your night,' in the Luganda east African language. |
| community, cooperation, family relationships, aesthetic | | | | The man starts with the Arabic-Islam greeting, |
| appearances, capitalism, morality, abandonment, | | | | "Asalamalakim," which Mama, at first, thinks is his name. |
| transformation, opportunism, intimidation, oppression, | | | | Dee says she is no longer Dee, but now goes by the |
| and emancipation. The story illustrates a common | | | | African names, "Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo." No |
| American scene, more so in the African-American | | | | explanation of these African names is offered, aside |
| context. | | | | from Dee's dubious mentioning that they attach her to |
| It was realized early in life that Dee was the | | | | her indigenous African heritage, and displace names |
| significantly brilliant and ambitious one of the two | | | | given to her by "oppressors," this in reference to her |
| daughters, she longed for the modern advanced | | | | legacy of slavery. Walker does not tell us that |
| setting; in Mama's words, "She use to read to us | | | | Leewanika is probably a misspelling of the name of |
| without pity; forcing words, lies, other folks' habits, | | | | southern African King Lewanika who collaborated with |
| whole lives upon us, sitting trapped and ignorant | | | | the British. Neither does Walker elaborate further on |
| underneath her voice. She washed us in a river of | | | | the other names. "Ngero," in Luganda, means "stories" |
| make-believe, burned us with a lot of knowledge we | | | | or "tales," "Wangero" meaning, "the one associated |
| didn't necessarily need to know." She was outspoken | | | | with stories/ tales." Kemanjo is probably a misspelling |
| and unabashed, loved to dress well and display her | | | | of some African name, or it is not a common African |
| beauty, "Dee wanted nice things." Mama, a woman | | | | name. Mama gets to learn that "Asalamalakim" is |
| whose formal school education was shut down in 1927 | | | | Hakim-a-barber, probably a mishearing of the Arabic |
| right after she had achieved a second grade | | | | Islam names, "Hakim Akbar." All this is quite |
| education, apparently embraces her daughter's | | | | representative of the movements toward Africanism |
| brilliance and ambitiousness by raising money, with the | | | | and black power in the 1960's and 1970's. Many of the |
| help of their church to send her to school in Augusta. | | | | quite formally educated, started adopting African and |
| Mama and Maggie, must have, on one hand, been | | | | Islamic names, many times they did not know the |
| eager to see Dee leave the home habitation, at least | | | | meaning or histories of these names, and many |
| for sometime. The aura in the story, of her boldness, | | | | became misspelled. It was an attempt at Africanization |
| ambitiousness, and zeal for sophistication and | | | | of identity, and embracing of Islam as an alternative |
| achievement making people uneasy while struck with | | | | religion to Christianity which was often perceived as |
| awe, is very powerful. Dee was a young lady of | | | | the religion of oppressors. Indeed, many slavers and |
| beauty and sophisticated language; Mama tells Maggie | | | | their ancestors have been Churchgoers. The paradox |
| that she knows of some childhood friends that Dee | | | | here is that the Dees and Hakims of this world are |
| had. To Mama, such friends were mostly mysterious, | | | | disdainful of their black-African heritage that is closest |
| grim-faced, and they often seemed to be in a | | | | to them. Compared to the African culture of the Deep |
| Dee-induced trance...astounded by her knowledge, | | | | South, adopting African names is only a token of |
| bombastic articulation, and beauty. Mama says, "She | | | | African culture. This ambivalence is becomes even |
| [Dee] had a few [friends]. ...Furtive boys... Nervous girls | | | | more profound as Dee attempts to plunder his family |
| who never laughed. Impressed with her they | | | | of valuable crafts, such as quilts (put together over |
| worshipped the well-turned phrase, the cute shape, the | | | | ancestral generations) and a churn handed down from |
| scalding humor that erupted like bubbles in lye." The | | | | previous ancestors. Dee likely wants to keep these |
| author, Alice, Walker does not mention the father or | | | | valuables, as tokens of her heritage, as souvenirs, |
| fathers of Dee and Maggie, although she is strong on | | | | displayed in her home. Dee even belittles Maggie who |
| mentioning her, "rough man-working hands." It is hence | | | | owns some of them, saying she was only capable of |
| safe to presume that Mama is a single mother. Walker | | | | putting them to, "Everyday use," and laughingly saying |
| would also lead us to wonder about the relationship | | | | that, "Maggie's brain is like an elephant's" (also meaning |
| between the two sisters. Mama, in the piece of writing, | | | | that she has a good memory). Both Mama's and |
| concentrates on these two so much that it is likely that | | | | Maggie get disturbed and angered by Dee's demeanor |
| these were her only children. Dee apparently has a | | | | of disrespect, insulting, selfishness, and aggression. |
| certain level of fondness for her less fortunate sister, | | | | Maggie still wants to give in to Dee, over the quilts that |
| but that seems to be overshadowed by her superiority | | | | she really wants. An animated Mama, strongly declines |
| complex, by her looking down upon Maggie because | | | | and throws the quilts into Maggie's lap. Dee and Akbar |
| Maggie does not measure up to her aesthetic and | | | | leave shortly, soon after Dee implying to Mama that |
| intellectual attributes as well as world view. Dee is quite | | | | she did not understand the value of heritage and that |
| outward looking and ambitious. Maggie is quite the | | | | Maggie should elevate herself out of the southern |
| opposite...burned, bruised, poor sighted, ungainly in | | | | black rural environment. It is in this last incident that |
| appearance, abashed to the extent of often hiding in | | | | Mama gets to appreciate the strength and value of |
| corners and wanting to bury her head in the sand. At | | | | her younger daughter as against the seemingly foreign |
| some point in the text, Mama says of Maggie, "...she | | | | brash mannerisms of her older sister. |
| stops and tries to dig a well in the sand with her toe," | | | | This story is quite representative of African-American |
| giving us the impression that she sometimes wished | | | | social dynamics and dilemma. Of those who look |
| that the world would swallow her. The fire that burned | | | | down upon their past, as well as their less fortunate |
| and handicapped Maggie, undoubtedly contributed to | | | | peers, while looking for fame and fortune in the |
| her stultified development and reservedness. But it is | | | | capitalist world that involves aggressiveness, |
| not clear whether the bullying attitude of her older | | | | opportunism, and acquisition of wealth. The rural South |
| sister Dee also contributed to this. We must remember | | | | is slow, family is important, with traditionalists finding it |
| that Dee did read to her sister and mother, indicative | | | | hard to cope with the extremes of urbanism. Many |
| of her desire for these blood relatives to become of | | | | who leave traditional black culture are ashamed of it, |
| higher social level and esteem. Mama talks of Maggie, | | | | but they still try to hold on to it by keeping cultural |
| "Sometimes Maggie reads to me. She stumbles along | | | | artifacts, antiques and souvenirs. Dee delights in seeing |
| good-naturedly but can't see well. She knows she is | | | | their house burn down, yet she comes back to |
| not bright." The author also makes us curious about the | | | | retrieve articles that well could have burned in the |
| house fire that scarred Maggie. Mama emphasizes | | | | same place. She comes to visit with a weird looking |
| that Dee hated the house and seemed to rejoice in it's | | | | man whom she little talks about. But Mama knows |
| burning down. This would raise suspicion that Dee had | | | | exactly the man that Dee will marry. Family, and culture |
| something to do with the fire. But hardly anything about | | | | is strong in the rural south; Individualism and ambiguity |
| how the fire was started is mentioned. | | | | are strong amongst the black educated elite, who in |
| As Mama and Maggie await Dee's arrival, Mama | | | | this piece are shifting to the culture of "oppressors," |
| imagines what it would be like for her to be introduced | | | | though they quite deny that they are doing so. It is a |
| alongside an imagined celebrity Dee in a Johnny | | | | story on black identity crisis, and the place of black |
| Carson-like high audience show, a situation in which | | | | culture and values. |
| she would get to travel in a luxurious limousine. She | | | | |