Motherlove in Shades of Black: The Maternal Psyche in the Novels of African American Women

200 Pages·2010·1 MB·English

by  Gloria Thomas Pillow

Motherlove in
Shades of Black
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Motherlove in
Shades of Black
The Maternal Psyche
in the Novels of
African American Women
GLORIA THOMAS PILLOW
Foreword by Geneva Smitherman
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Jefferson, North Carolina, and London
Abridged variations of a portion of the material in chapters 1,
2, and 6 appeared as articles with the following titles under the
author’s former name, Gloria T. Randle, in the following publica-
tions, respectively:
“Between the Rock and the Hard Place: Mediating Spaces in
Harriet Jacobs’ Incidentsin the Life of a Slave Girl.” African
American Review, winter 1999; 23 pp.
“Mates, Marriage, and Motherhood: Feminist Visions in
Pauline Hopkins’ ContendingForces.” Tulsa Studies in Women’s
Literature, Vol. 18, No. 2, fall 1999; 26 pp.
“‘Knowing When to Stop’: Loving and Living Small in the
Slave World of Beloved.” CLA Journal, Vol. XLI, no. 3, spring 1998;
21pp.
LIBRARYOFCONGRESSCATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATIONDATA
Pillow, Gloria Thomas.
Motherlove in shades of black : the maternal psyche in the
novels of African American women / Gloria Thomas Pillow ;
foreword by Geneva Smitherman.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7864-3533-3
softcover : 50# alkaline paper
1. American fiction—African American authors–History and
criticism. 2. American fiction—Women authors—History and
criticism. 3. African American mothers in literature. 4. Love,
Maternal, in literature. 5. Mother and child in literature.
6. African American mothers—Psychology. I. Title.
PS153.N5P53 2010
813'.0093552—dc22 2010017289
British Library cataloguing data are available
©2010 Gloria Thomas Pillow. All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying
or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publisher.
Front cover: Linda Carole. Mother Love. Acrylic on upholstery
fabric. 20" | 30". 2003.
Manufactured in the United States of America
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com
To Mom and Dad,
loved and treasured beyond words.
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Acknowledgments
Thank you, God, for bountiful blessings.
Deepest thanks to my extraordinary family, including extended and
new family, and to my cherished circle of friends—who, together, compose
the finest support system anyone could have. Mom and dad, your exquisite
motherlove and fatherlove have enriched countless lives. Thanks to sisters
Margaret and Patricia for constant encouragement and Claudia, fearless and
thoughtful editor. Angie, Grace, Lish, Rufus—your gifts were essential.
Thank you, Cameron High School in Nashville, Tennessee, and (then–)
Clark College in Atlanta, Georgia, for essential lessons in and out of school
and for wonderful times, whose memories and imprint will last a lifetime.
Thanks to the University of Chicago for a rich postgraduate experi-
ence—those seven years just flew by! Thank you, Professors Elizabeth
Alexander, Ken Warren, and, especially, Bill Veeder for excellent guidance.
Thanks, MIKE: you were a great study group.
I am so appreciative for the interaction with my students in years past,
especially at Michigan State University, who kept the dialogue, the ques-
tioning, and the thinking fresh and dynamic.
Geneva, generous spirit, you and your exceptional writing inspire me.
Claudith, you are an enduring blessing.
Phil, you’ve always been there, all my life.
Thank you to Dr. Jimmy Graham and Dr. Christopher Holloway, for
helping me to meet health challenges with some measure of grace.
Thomas, my heart: life with you is golden.
vii
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Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Foreword by Geneva Smitherman 1
Introduction 3
1. Linda Brent: Through a Glass, Darkly 9
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
2. Sappho Clark: Double Exposure 36
Contending Forces
3. Irene Redfield: Smoke and Mirrors 63
Passing
4. Maud Martha: Gray, Lined in Silver 87
Maud Martha
5. Celie: Emergent Light 111
The Color Purple
6. Sethe: Beyond the Pale 138
Beloved
Chapter Notes 169
Bibliography 177
Index 187
ix