Mothers and Magic: Understanding "Mama Day" Anna Hughes College

There are many different ways to describe the mysticism that pervades Willow Springs in Gloria Naylor’s Mama Day. Most people would call it magic, but every character would describe it differently. Mama Day would call it seeing. Dr. Buzzard would name it voodoo. Cocoa would say its Mama Day’s touch. George would refer to it as nonsense. Most of the residents in Willow Springs would simply call it 18 & 23. Regardless of what it is labeled, it is undeniably present and powerful throughout the novel. This magic is only slightly more prevalent than the presence of strong mother figures. While very few biological mothers exist in Naylor’s novel, each character has a mother figure that plays a massive role in his or her upbringing. Furthermore, the mother figures in each character’s life affect how he or she perceives the mysterious phenomena that surround Willow Springs.

Sapphira Wade is the epicenter of everything in Naylor’s novel; the most important of which are her place as a universal mother figure as well as the source of all magic and mysticism. Sapphira is not only the beginning of Willow Springs but also predecessor for the Days. Due to the fact that she secured freedom and shelter for her children, she is revered as a...