LITR 5731: Seminar in American Minority Literature
University of Houston-Clear Lake, 1999
Sample Student Midterm

Lathon Lewis
LITR 5731
Dr. Craig White
Spring 1999

Themes of Magic and Christianity within the Black Experience

The themes of our text serve as reflections of different aspects of the experience of Black persons in America. Although no one text can provide a complete view, it is possible for a writer to work through a particular theme with effectiveness. Frederick Douglass’ narrative provides an autobiographical account of a move from slavery to freedom. Both Song of Solomon and The Chaneysville Incident deal with reconciliation of contemporary Black folks with aspects of their past. The subjects of Christianity and the supernatural appear in all three works.    

The presence of Christianity within our texts reveals itself through the use of biblical names, through certain beliefs and actions of the characters, as well as, its being criticized by certain characters. The use of biblical names, which is most prevalent in Song of Solomon but also occurs in The Chaneysville Incident, is the most obvious literary link to Christianity. However, the use of biblical names does not in itself suggest the practice of Christianity. It does, though, imply the importance of the bible as necessary literature within the Black experience in America. In Song of Solomon, the patriarch Macon Dead names his children, excepting the first born male, by randomly choosing a name from the bible. This is a pattern that is repeated by the second Macon Dead in the naming of his daughters. A similar thing is done in The Chaneysville Incident in the way Lamen chooses the name, Moses, for his son. The bible, with its place as important literature, is present within both families. Even those characters that are illiterate realize its importance. This being a fact, suggests to us that it is more than the book but rather its meaning, or what it represents, that resonates with the characters and these characters are meant to be representative of the Black experience. Frederick Douglass, in his narrative, reinforces this theme. Douglass can read and in fact becomes a teacher of some illiterate slaves. The classes take place on the "Sabbath" and, though some spelling books are mentioned, the primary learning tool is the bible. In fact, one gets the sense that the classes are also a worship service.

The idea of moving from sin to salvation that is represented by Christianity is analogous to the move from slavery to freedom. The bible, with its link to Christianity, is a symbol of freedom. With this in mind, it only makes sense that the enslaved and recently freed Blacks would be eager to have that symbol in their possession. Douglass, with his narrative being an autobiography, provides the true to life example of the slave mindset of the times. On the frustration of his predicament, he writes, "My thoughts would compel utterance; and there, with no audience but the Almighty, I would pour out my soul’s complaint…"(Douglass, 293). Later, when describing the Sabbath day sessions with the illiterate slaves, Douglas writes, "…we were trying to learn how to read the will of God,"(Douglass, 303).

In The Chaneysville Incident, the most demonstrative depiction of the link between Christianity and the Black experience is when the protagonist, John Washington, is describing the events of Old Jack’s funeral. At the gravesite, members of the congregation take turns singing spirituals concerned with such subjects as angels, lambs, and stealing away to Jesus. When one member sings the verse the rest of the congregation responds with the chorus. John’s description draws the obvious parallel of the call and response traditionally associated with the preacher and congregation of the Black church. Unlike the Douglass narrative, the presence of Christianity within The Chaneysville Incident does not imply acceptance. There is, in fact, an anti-church mood that permeates throughout the novel.

Moses Washington, whose strong character dominates the book, views the church as unnecessary and perhaps even silly. God for him, as well as for Old Jack and John, is found in the woods and the mountains and freedom is attained only through the will of the individual. Even the final act of Moses’ suicide is a demonstration of the power of his freedom and seems crazy: "Only if you’re a Christian. Only if you believe in Heaven and Hell, and all those things," (Bradley, 388). John goes on to describe, "Moses Washington didn’t (believe)…he spent all that time in the church and talking to preachers and reading the Bible because he wanted to be sure the Christians were wrong," (Bradley, 389). Douglass, on the other hand, does not find fault with the Christian ideals but rather with the hypocrisy of the religious. Being a literate slave, he has the opportunity to understand the contradiction between what the devout slaveholders taught and what they practiced. Ironically, the more devout one of the slaveholders claimed to be the meaner and crueler they were. The comparison does not fail, for as he calls the names of different reverends in the community, we are told of the cruelty of each. He, in fact, comes to the conclusion, "…that the religion of the south is a mere covering of the most horrid crimes, --a justifier of the most appalling barbarity, --a sanctifier of the most hateful frauds, --and a dark shelter under which the darkest, foulest, grossest, and most infernal deeds of slaveholders find the strongest protection," (Douglass, 301).

The presence of Christianity is the subtlest in Song of Solomon. Toni Morrison, with the biblical title of her book, gives the impression of a religious novel. While some may argue the religiousness of the book, Christianity only penetrates as deep as the names of some of its characters. It is neither the beacon for hope as in Douglass’ narrative nor the source of delusion as presented by David Bradley. The mention of this absence is not meant to assert that Song of Solomon does not pulse with a spiritual flow. In fact, it is arguably the most spiritual of the three works.

The presence of a magical mood or otherworldliness is widespread in the Morrison novel, although The Chaneysville Incident and the Douglass narrative touch on that feeling as well. From the suicidal leap of Robert Smith on the opening pages to Milkman’s own at the end of the book (Both of which are perhaps the same "crazy" freedom that Moses Washington displays), Morrison frankly portrays the surreal. When we are introduced to Pilate, the mystical aunt of Milkman, we are presented with the physical oddity of a belly with no navel. When their father is killed, a woman named Circe cares for Pilate and Macon. Her name recalls the enchantress from Ancient Greek mythology. When she appears later in the novel, so much time has passed we can not be sure if she is real or a ghost. Her appearance at the top of the stairs is compared to the appearance of a witch in the dreams of a child. Even more surreal are the appearances of the eldest Macon Dead after he has been murdered. A harmless figure, he beckons and whispers phrases to his children.

The matter of fact way that Morrison presents this ghost makes the walking dead almost seem common. The spiritual world is intermingled with the natural world. In The Chaneysville Incident we also get the description of spirits. The sound of the wind moving along the far side of the hill was not wind at all, rather it was believed by Old Jack to be the souls of Indians. It was their singing that caused the sounds. Spirit and nature are again in existence together. Sandy Jenkins, the old slave who is a friend to Frederick Douglass would have a similar viewpoint. For protection from the cruel master he turns to a certain root. Here we see the natural and the spiritual have become one. The root may come from the ground but it possesses magical qualities that seem to hold powers over certain things in this world. The literate Douglass is skeptical of old Sandy’s belief but when the root seems to achieve its purpose he is left to ponder the validity of Sandy Jenkin’s magic. In Song of Solomon, Pilate uses witchcraft to control the actions of her brother Macon. When Ruth desires for Macon to come to her, Pilate gives her, "some greenish-gray grassy-looking stuff to put in his food," (Morrison, 125). Soon after Macon does come to his wife and she is soon pregnant with a son as Pilate has prophesized. Again the sorcery of Pilate is called upon as Macon is trying to get his wife to abort the unborn child. He comes to his office one day and finds in his chair, "a male doll with a small painted chicken bone stuck between its legs and round red circle painted on his belly," (Morrison, 132). Although Morrison does not explain the intended effects of doll, we understand from the actions of Macon that there is potential magic involved as well as potential powers that are not of this world.

Perhaps the single most surreal act of Morrison’s book is the flight of Solomon. It is told to Milkman as a myth but its reality is what justifies the words of the Macon’s ghost. The reader is left with the certainty that Solomon could fly. In contrast to both Bradley and Douglass, Morrison legitimizes the magical as part of the Black experience. Douglass denies the power of the root. It does not matter that things worked out the way Sandy promised, the magical is denied a place in reality. In a footnote to his narrative, Douglass explains that Sandy and he often talked about the events involving the root and its success. Douglass regards Sandy’s belief as a common superstition among the more ignorant slaves. Ignorant is also how John describes Old Jack’s theory of the souls of Indians singing on the far side of the hill. His education has taught him the sounds are created by the shape of the land and the velocity, temperature, and direction of the wind. The intellect of both Douglass and John has caused them to move beyond simple thinking. Power for them comes with that intellectual knowledge. It is this knowledge that allows Frederick Douglass to understand and articulate the injustice of his condition. His lucid reasoning dissolves the illogic of his oppressors. For John Washington, education is the tool that dismantles the mythology of youth. That, which was once grand has become simple. Knowledge is also the thing that allows them to propel forward in American society, somewhat closer to that American dream, stretching the Black experience into new directions. In Song of Solomon, Morrison is wary of moving in those same directions. The American dream does seem to corrupt and separate one from one’s true self. There is something special that has been left in the past, a connection to a magical world that perhaps lies within. It is a magical power that can propel its user beyond this world. It is the same magical power that allowed those Africans to fly.

Both Christianity and the belief in the supernatural can be associated with the Black experience in America. The supernatural beliefs are something that traveled from Africa and Christianity is something that was embraced by the suffering slaves. Both of these themes are dealt with in our texts with varying degrees of emphasis. Their presence in all three books, I think, speaks to their relevance. The books themselves are good starting points for mental examination of the experiences of Black persons. As one ponders on the dissolution of the distinct experiences of Black America into the dominant culture, one realizes that the more it dissolves, the more it will be absorbed by society as a whole.

Lathon Lewis, LITR 5731

midterm paper response from Craig White

Grade:

Dear Lathon,

You’ve written an impressive midterm, so thanks for a good reading experience and I’ll always be glad to work with you.

In terms of what goes right here, I’m tempted simply to fall back and say that you’re a gifted writer, because your prose shows many of the intangibles that are almost impossible to teach: there’s good forward motion, a relish for the texts and the pleasure they offer in reading and discussion, a subtle perception of degrees of similarity and difference, and, most generally, a good "sound" to the language—you enjoy the sound of English, that is, and you stretch and squeeze it so that your own prose sings back to you and to your prospective reader.

In terms of advice, on the "micro" level I offered a few small corrections in your text itself, and a couple of times I was tempted to condense your prose, but then I recalled your interest in creative writing and decided to leave the choice to you—in any case, however, your style is occasionally a little more "spacious" compared to by-the-book critical writing, which is always condensing itself. As I said, however, you can make this choice yourself, and it’s worth remembering that many of the best critics are also creative writers who push the boundaries of standard academic prose. Just be aware of the pressures in both directions.

Probably the most useful advice I can offer would be organizational, but it has consequences for the development of your ideas. You offer a two-step topic: Christianity and the supernatural. However, you don’t directly relate these two subjects to each other. In some respects that might have been smart, since the comparison is loaded with sensitive dangers. However, on page 4, the shift from the subject of Christianity to that of "a magical mood or otherworldliness" is rather abrupt, and after that point, in your discussion of the supernatural, I believe you never look back to the first part of your paper. The positive qualities of your writing prevent your reader from griping too much, but if I were an editor interested in publishing your analysis, I would insist that you connect the two stages through comparison, contrast, or progression.

Writing can always be better, and you might keep in mind this advice about relating the two stages of any argument, but it’s a pleasure reading writing that is this good already and I look forward to your other work this semester.