Mama Gone Jane Yolen Analysis

"Mama Gone" by Jane Yolen is a short vampire story about a mother who died after giving birth and came back as a vampire. The story focuses on the relationship of her oldest daughter Mandy who is also, the narrator in the story and protagonist that sets her mother free from the darkness of night with her expression of love and the significant bond between mother and child.
Mandy Jane is symbolized as a strong character, she is able to control her feelings and emotions better than any in family including her father who takes the lost of his wife very hard. Even durning the death of birthing her new born sister Mandy never cried out a single tear. Throughout, the entire book she holds on to trust and faith of her mother and does not appear

to be afraid even when she has returned from the dead. The author makes it apparent that Mandy does not fear the darkness because she still sees her mother behind it all. Even when she sleeps by the gravestone knowing that her mama had just murder a child the night before allows readers to understand just how brave she is .
Jane Yolen did a great job foreshadowing that mama was going to return as a vampire without exposing that to the readers to early. She used many different symbols to notion this. For example, they wanted to bury mama with garlic and cut her hands and feet off but papa would not allow this. "Your Mama couldn't stand garlic, it give her rashes all over" . This also explores the idea something dark and dangerous may return and this allows readers to become curious on actually what that is. Although , many readers are already familiar with the idea that vampires cannot withstand garlic and silver metal crosses and Jane Yolen used both symbols to foreshadow mama return from the dead.
The author uses a superficial idea that soon becomes reality when mama come back from the grave and tries to prey on own family. This also explores the idea that even dead have a sense where home is and this also brings up the question why do we try to hurt the ones we love ? This reflects back on the father because he loved his wife dearly and he did not want to take the precaution that was needed to keep others around him safe and this lead to the mama killing another infant in a crib from a family that lived over the mountains. It is also ironic that mama choice to kill infant when in fact giving birth to infant is what killed her. Though it is not clear that was the idea, I thought it worthy of acknowledgement.
This brought more guilt to the father and soon he realizes that he was at fault. Then it comes back to the idea of why do we hurt the ones we love because father become prepared to kill his wife to stop her from harming anyone else.

She uses great imagery to describe her ideal vampire which would have skin as grey as greystone and eyes as dark as midnight.

Jane Yolen also allowed readers to believe the idea that feeling and emotions can be provoked even in the afterlife or in this case the walking dead.
Readers are able to connect with the notion of everlasting relationship between a mother and child. She tries to bring light to a dark situation. Mandy recalls old memories to her mother and makes her mother remember the goodness in her that appears to cleanse away the darkness from her allowing her to be set free. Jane Yolen makes it clear to readers that love overpowers fear that was provoked by the undead mother.
I found it ironic that Jane Yolen had acknowledge a few biblical references in a horror story. For example "For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything'. This is very similarly to the biblical scripture from Ecclesiastes 9:5 stating ‘For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten’. Which is later proven to be false by her oldest daughter Mandy when she brings back the remember of love and set her mother free from the darkness of the

afterlife.
The last words from her undead mother was "here & gone" which can be a notion that she is finally leaving and that was her way of saying goodbye my child.
. This book is perfect for middle school to high school age students.