Gloria Naylors Mama Day Essay -- Gloria Naylor Mama Day Literature Es

Gloria Naylors Mama DayGloria Naylors Mama Day takes menage in two distinct environments, each characterized by the beliefs and ideologies of the people who hold out the seemingly different worlds. The island of Willow Springs, comprised solely by the descendants of slaves, is enured apart from the rest of the United States and is neither part of South Carolina nor Georgia. As such, its inhabitants be exempt from the laws of either state and are free to rate themselves as they see fit. Only a worn-out bridge create in 1920 connects the inhabitants to the mainland, but the people of Willow Springs are entirely self-sufficient. They view in the ways of their African ancestors and respect the heritage of Sapphira Wade, the original amaze who convinced her master to deed the island to his slaves. They live in the present moreover guess in the power of supernatural forces and herbal or answer medicine. Mama Day, whose imposing presence in Willow Springs is felt by all of the in habitants, best understands that her world is founded upon the power of belief. Belief in that which whitethorn seem to defy all rational or logical sense. In in the raw York, however, Cocoa finds herself amongst a group of people who seem far-flung and interested in tho themselves. Stemming from many different backgrounds, the people of spic-and-span York are always in a rush and moving, moving, moving ---and to where? (19). No one knows for sure. Just like the subways, racism in New York travel underground, and Cocoa experiences it as she desperately searches for a job. After having lived in New York for seven years, Cocoa still has not found a desirable mate. Only when she meets George does she start believing again in the goodness and earnestness possessed by some. George is t... ... that Ruby is the source of Cocoas illness, and admits to Dr. Buzzard that he only believes in himself (292). When he finally visits the other place, he is appalled by Mama Days mumbo jumbo bu t after seeing Cocoas condition worsen, he eventually submits to her plan. His inability, however, to understand that a pair of empty hands are all that Mama Day needs costs him his life. Georges inability to believe in that which he could not understand leads to his demise. Unfortunately, as Naylor reminds us, Rational the States insists that everything should have a rational basis. As products of this rational society, we never hope things at face value because we constantly dig deeper in hopes of all understanding that which may be eluding us. Sometimes, however, it is best to cast deviation reason and accept things for what they are and what they represent.