appears more symbolic than practical; by merging the ledger and cane, both inherited from strong men, with the eggs that play a key role in many of Miranda's mystical rituals, he combines male and female elements. George, who is afraid of chickens, must confront both his fear and his skepticism. Miranda's warning that...

Themes: Love, Faith, and Destruction

In a previous discussion, Miranda and Abigail recognize that love and faith are the sole forces strong enough to conquer the power of destruction. In this scenario, George acts out of love but is devoid of faith, ultimately opting for a destructive path. He transforms into more of a Christ-like figure than Miranda had anticipated, collapsing with his "gouged and bleeding hands" as his heart fails, unintentionally sacrificing his life to rescue...

Themes: Fictitious and Mythical World

Much of the world of Mama Dayis fictitious, even mythical, in a manner reminiscent of William Faulkner’s fictional Yoknapatawpha County. Naylor even provides her readers with a map of the offshore island between Georgia and South Carolina, but the island, connected to the mainland by a tenuous bridge, seems otherworldly, a matriarchal paradise. The bridge becomes a passage to a mainland world, which Willow Springs residents distrust: “And we done...

Themes: Multiple Perspectives and Truth

Despite the family tree, the bill of sale, and the map, the story of George and Ophelia changes, not for readers so much as for the tellers; as Ophelia says, “there are just too many sides to the whole story.” As Miranda tells about Sapphira Wade, she includes different versions about the death of Sapphira’s husband, Bascombe Wade—Sapphira either poisoned him or stabbed him. However, there is a core of meaning, just as there is a core of meaning...

Themes: Role of Women and Storytelling

The best storytellers and listeners in the novel are women, the Day women especially. Despite Miranda’s belief that “we ain’t had much luck with the girls in this family,” the strain that passes from Sapphira to Miranda to Ophelia produces strong, nurturing women, as well as storytellers (at the end of the novel Ophelia is telling “myths” to her son George). Ophelia believes that, together, Miranda and Abigail were “the perfect mother.” Miranda,...

Themes: Knowledge and Transcendence

Mothers nurture so that their children will seek and learn, and the novel suggests that people “gotta go away to come back to that kind of knowledge,” knowledge about “the beginning of the Days.” Religious imagery pervades the novel, and the reference to “Days” suggests the beginning of time, Creation. The knowledge that Sapphira and Miranda had and that which is promised Ophelia transcends this world and makes of this woman something akin to the...

Themes: Cocoa's Education and Initiation into the Matriarchy

The primary theme of Mama Dayis the education of Cocoa, the woman whose destiny it is to continue the line of Days. Although she leaves Willow Springs after George’s death and later remarries, in a sense she will become “Mama Day” after her great-aunt’s death. In other words, Cocoa has now gained the responsibility of self-knowledge, through which she is initiated into the matriarchy of the family. Symbolizing this responsibility is an intricate...

Themes: George's Education and Lack of Faith

Secondary to Cocoa’s education, but still important, is the education of George. Early in the novel, he is seen as a product of New York, which means he has little faith in anything other than himself. George does not respect and honor his heritage as an African American man; in short, he lacks a soul. Mama Day tries to educate him into the ways of his ancestors, but he lacks faith in her and in her magic, leading to his death. Although he saves...

Themes: Shakespearean Allusions

It is possible, according to some critics, to see allusions to William Shakespeare in Mama Day as another theme. One critic finds many asides to Hamlet (1600-1601), especially in the character of Cocoa, whose given name is “Ophelia,” also the name of the young woman in Shakespeare’s play. Another critic finds the novel more reminiscent of The Tempest(1611), since Willow Springs is an isolated, magical place “ruled” by a person who can control...