Character Analysis Of Paule Marshall's 'Praisesong For The Widow'

The novel, Praisesong for the Widow (1983) written by Paule Marshall, revolves around a character named Avey Johnson who is at a crossroad to define her destiny generated from years of poverty and a rocky marriage. She and her husband face discrimination and struggle to provide for their children. In trying to obtain a better position in the society, better neighborhood and job, they are forced to assimilate with “the whites.” In Avey’s school of thought, the dense population of “whites” was not a representative of her identity, but as conformity to the majority perspective; however, in the struggle to overcome poverty, they both lose their inner connection and happy moments of their lives that they both enjoyed when they did not have any money.

It is heavily driven by the quest to find lucrative employment opportunities far away from home. As illustrated in Jamaica Kincaid’s novel, Lucy (1990), the main character, Lucy, travels to the United States from West Indies to work for a wealthy white family. It is during her stay at the white family home that she tries to grapple with cultural identity. In this regard, the novel articulates that Lucy was optimistic of living behind her cultural identity from her West Indies background; however, with time, Lucy generates nostalgic memories of her homeland. This portrays the hegemonic ideology of cultural identity. For example, she begins to remember her nice foods that she consumed while back home. Additionally, the cultural representation of cheating in marriage is replicated in Lucy’s new found home. Her boss’s husband also cheats on his wife, a similar behavior that Lucy experiences back home when her father begins cheating on her mother. Having traumatic memories from her childhood, Lucy thinks that escaping from her homeland will resolve and erase her

Particularly, the author contradicts standard postcolonial and Caribbean literature in which denial of one’s culture leads to the celebration of a return. Unlike Avey Johnson, Lucy persistently evokes the past; however, she does not come to resolution or return to her homeland. Throughout the novel, Lucy becomes preoccupied, even obsessed with her past and traumatic childhood. She feels like a stranger in the American society and constantly brings up her past and homeland; however, despite her memories, she does not want to go back home or even visit her mother. Such an alienation from her family leads her to isolation, not only from her heritage, but also from the American society. Lucy’s connection to her culture, represented through her mother and motherland, signifies Caribbean literature, particularly in this novel where return and reconnection with her culture emphasized as a