Tools of empowerment: The use of magic, voodoo, and the supernatural in the novels of African-American women writers

Contemporary black women writers make generous use of Africanist spirituality, which includes the use of magic, voodoo, and the supernatural. In each of the four novels examined here--Gloria Naylor's Mama Day, Paule Marshall's Praisesong for the Widow, and Toni Morrison's Sons of Solomon and Beloved--the protagonist is empowered in his or her quest for a new cultural identity and a richer sense of community by either a supernatural event or by an older ancestral figure who possesses supernatural powers. Using a close textual and cultural reading, which includes elements of black feminist criticism, I argue that black women writers are making a political statement by creating characters whose strength comes from a reclaimed African spiritual heritage, including magic, voodoo, and the supernatural.;Chapter One is a brief historical overview of the role played by black women in various African-American religious and social movements. Chapter Two explores the literary and political concerns of these writers and discusses how their use of the supernatural addresses some of these concerns.;Chapter Three mediates between the two archetypes common to the four novels--the materialistic, pragmatic, alienated, self-reliant black who duels with the wise, Africanist, communal, spiritual, otherworldly ancestral figure. Chapter Four discusses how the protagonists discover their identity and cultural history after being aided by either a supernatural event or the ancestral figure. Chapter Five explores the concept of community as defined by black women writers and how a newly formulated sense of identity enhances and fosters community.;Chapter Six, the conclusion, makes the case that as the United States stands on the verge of becoming a truly multi-ethnic nation, the central message of the novels of black women writers--that one must look to one's past and specifically to one's spiritual heritage in order to create a healthy, integrated future--is useful not just to black Americans but to all Americans.