Southern Life In The Mama Day By Gloria Naylor

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Gloria Naylor, as an African American, has deep connection with her southern roots and heritage. The element from her life that has been most influential on her novels is her southern heritage. Understanding that southern life in many ways defines the African American experience, Naylor feels obligated to capture this essence in all of her works. Though she knows that every black experience is not southern or working class, she affirms the southern space as an inescapable foundation. According to her- The black community is diverse and all facets of black life should be explored. …this newer generation…will be further and further removed from its southern roots, and with this shift there will be less interest in those working class struggles …show more content…

Mama Day performs magical pregnancies with ease. The occurrence of the supernatural is mainly concentrated in ‘the Other Place’, the Days’ old house where Miranda and Abigail used to live as children. The ‘Other Place’ serves as a meeting point between the real and unreal world where the unexpected events take place. For the pregnancy of Bernice, a local woman, Mama Day uses her supernatural power and natural medicine. She nurtures Bernice so much to prepare her for the final healing element in ‘the Other Place’. With the help of indefinable ancient spiritual hands, Mama Day performs a ritual. She seems to be holding a chicken on her lap. Hens and eggs stand as the symbol of fertility. The ritual that takes place is quite otherworldly. Bernice strips down naked and rests her head on the embroidered pillow. She feels someone’s hand in her body. The exceptional power of the Other Place and the presence of an unnatural spirit serve as mediators between Mama Day and Bernice. She uses the Other Place to enhance the power of her healing and to call for the ancestral spirit to help in the pregnancy of Bernice who desperately longs for a baby. The Other Place is connected to ancestral spirits that is an inseparable part of the island’s history and of Mama Day’s heritage. In Bernice’s case, the Other Place proves to assist in creating a new life but in George’s case, it proves to be the cause of George’s

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