The Characters
Marzala Spencer is the center of Toni Cade Bambara’s novel, which chronicles the character’s reaction to her son’s disappearance and her growth from a struggling single mother with two jobs into a confident, powerful spokesperson for the oppressed African American citizens of inner-city Atlanta. As symbolized by the T-shirt reading “Question Authority” that she wears during her last speech, Marzala becomes a courageous activist working to better the lives of the hitherto powerless citizens around her. She organizes tirelessly and relies upon Gwendolyn Brooks’s wisdom that “we are all each other’s harvest, we are all each other’s business,” conveying Bambara’s message that freedom and justice are a continuing struggle that has yet to be won. Thus, despite what Bambara perceives as the ultimate corruption in Atlanta that prevents discovery of the real child murderers, Marzala represents a ray of hope. She clearly will continue her struggle to discover the truth and to protect the victims in American society, especially inner-city African American children.
Characters
Bambara's array of characters is captivating, featuring a mix of fictional personalities and real-life public figures whose words are documented from public sources. In the interview mentioned earlier, Bambara clarifies that "fictional characters allow me to pursue the various theories, for example, about the murders and allow me to lift up the community voice without hustling anyone." Her explanation of the book-writing process, found in the "Acknowledgments," sheds light on how fictional characters are intricately crafted within the novel's context, while real individuals are merely referenced by name. For instance, B. J. Greaves is a character Bambara created "originally devised solely to enable me to tell the reader about actual police officers," while the characters Mason, Vernon, and Lafayette "enabled me to tip my hat to the numerous vets and community workers who were on the case." In contrast, the Spencer family is vividly portrayed for their involvement in the tragedy and the remarkable transformations they experience.
Bambara's depiction of the family unit, their challenges in searching for their missing son, and their efforts to reunite and unify are central themes of the novel. Marzala Rawls Spencer, introduced as the first character, holds a pivotal role throughout the story. Despite being a young mother at just twenty-seven, she is initially portrayed as distraught, "worried," with "Smudged mascara from the day before.... She looked feverish, her lips cracked and peeling, salt streaked across her breastbone." From her initial introduction, she is overwhelmed, upset with her twelve-year-old son for not returning home. She also seems disconnected from her younger children, eight-year-old Kofi and seven-year-old Kenti, who complain that her restless movements around the house disturb them. Marzala, often referred to as Zala in the novel, is both distracted and distressed. She is exhausted, juggling two jobs as a manicurist at a barbershop and a teacher at an art center. Her relationship with her husband is strained, as indicated by Kofi's question, "You call Dad?" and Kenti's observation, "But Daddy wasn't coming by so much no more." However, when Marzala realizes that her son Sonny's absence is more than just a case of disobedience regarding a camping trip, she begins to transform. Initially, she "dragg[es] herself behind Officer Hall," pleading, "Would somebody help me please?", remaining a passive victim in a system that dismisses her concerns, assuring her that boys of Sonny's age often run away from home. Gradually, Marzala starts to "Question Authority," as her T-shirt reads by the novel's conclusion, during a community meeting where she finds her voice and urges community activism. Quoting Gwendolyn Brooks, Marzala begins, "'We are all...
(This entire section contains 1966 words.)
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each other's harvest, we are each other's business,'" and concludes her speech with the powerful words, "'...coerced silence is terrorism.'"
Nathaniel "Spence" Spencer, Marzala's estranged husband, finds himself isolated from both his family and community. Upon hearing about his son's disappearance, he embarks on a long journey back home to uncover the truth. His life is steeped in disillusionment, as we discover that "ten years ago, Spence had still been serious about becoming a community organizer." However, he never fulfilled that ambition and struggles to rekindle the passion he once harbored, "and now he was hurting..." As we delve into his past, Spence is revealed as someone who tried to live by his ideals. He had "gone in the army, fled in fact, still using the Black Power salute to repair the damage, ... hanging 'militant' posters over his bed.... Dogged, brave, noble, right on." Yet, he joined the military too late to see substantial action, leaving him disillusioned upon his return. He feels isolated, unable to think of anyone he could visit to say, "Hey, man, I'm hurtin.'" However, like Marzala, Spence undergoes a transformation. As he persistently searches for Sonny and investigates potential leads with Marzala, he unexpectedly finds his way back to his family. Reunited, he begins to change, realizing while holding Kenti, "that he wanted Sonny to be there not so much to complete the family portrait as to give him the opportunity to alter it and his own relationship to it. 'My family,' he said aloud, to see what it felt like to say it now. . . . 'Family,' he said again." When Sonny is finally reunited with them, roles shift once more. This time, however, the changes are lasting, and they all learn to grow together—forming a new community, a new family.
Sundiata, known as "Sonny," Spencer is the heart of the emotional struggles faced by the Spencer family. The narrative reveals two versions of Sonny: the idealized figure everyone hopes will return and the reality of the Sonny who actually comes back. At the start of the novel, Marzala is anxious about Sonny's absence and upset with him for causing her distress: "Twelve years old and out all night long.... She mouthed all the things she would say to him, all the things she'd been lashing together to flay him with since the day before when Kofi had shrugged and said 'Went.' ... He was asking for it, and he would get it this time." Even his siblings feel that Sonny often gets away with things, as Kofi notes, "'He always do what he wants.'" However, the family's perception shifts when they learn Sonny has been kidnapped, transforming him into a symbol of lost innocence: "Sacrificial children. Little Lamb, they'd called their firstborn long before he was Sundiata, Sundi, Sunday, Sonny. Who didn't call their babies little lambs?" Yet, upon his return, he is unrecognizable to them. Initially, he is "The John Doe Jr. in observation in Pediatrics, found wandering in a daze on the highway, barefoot, in khaki shorts and a ragged child's undershirt four sizes too small, ... so badly battered . . . " Back at her family's home, away from Atlanta and hoping for healing, Zala struggles to accept this new reality:
"That is not my boy," she had told them....
"Those bones are not my child." Dismissing Spence's attempts to console her, she insisted it was futile to accept the damaged boy as their son. But Spence continued to encourage her to look closely and focus.
As the family embarks on the journey of healing and begins to accept Sonny back into their lives, recognizing his transformation, they start to piece together the events that transpired. Sonny's kidnapping and subsequent return are central to the narrative, challenging the family to redefine their identity and prompting the community to do so as well in the wake of this tragedy.
Kofi Spencer, an eight-year-old boy, is Sonny's younger brother. He must redefine his place in the family after Sonny is kidnapped. At the beginning of the novel, Kofi is moody, rebellious, and jealous of Sonny, often complaining that their mother is too lenient with Sonny: "'You don't never say nothing to him. You jump on me all the time, though.'" Initially, Kofi thinks Sonny is on a camping trip and imagines all the fun he is missing out on. He resents how Sonny treats him: "Bestor Brooks always spoke up and looked out for his younger brothers, but Sonny only sometimes . . . " When Kofi realizes Sonny is missing, he tries to fill the older brother's shoes, almost becoming Sonny himself. He asks his mother, "'Since Sonny ain't here ... can I sleep on top and Kenti can take my bed?'" He then retrieves a pair of cowboy boots from the closet, asking, "'Can I have these boots? I mean, can I wear them till I get new shoes?'" Eager to literally step into Sonny's role, Kofi declares, "'Well, Sonny ain't here.... He ain't here.'" However, as Sonny returns, weakened and scared, Kofi becomes protective of his older brother. Holding Sonny, he reassures him, "'I got you. It's all right. Ain't nobody gonna mess with you. . . . Don't cry. Awww, don't cry, Sonny.... It's okay.... I got him, Dad. Let go, ya'll. I got him.'" Kofi remains steadfast and doesn't let go.
Kenti Spencer, the youngest of the Spencer siblings, swings between deep skepticism and idealism. She observes her mother with a critical perspective, thinking, "If Daddy came by he would get on her about that." Despite being only eight years old, she easily slips back into her role as a little girl, snuggling under the covers with her Baby Crawler. One day, while waiting for her father after Sonny's disappearance, Kenti prays for the chance to go to church, expressing a desire to "pray for Sonny to come home and put on his birthday bathrobe and get everybody to act right." Although she believes that "house praying wasn't as strong as church praying," Kenti clings tightly to her Baby Crawler and continues to pray. Kenti's role is intriguing because she possesses insights that many adults lack. She is the first to grasp a lesson that the adult community members fail to understand: "the lesson was that people who struggled in the dark and got scared should keep on with the struggling and then they'll be blessed and can change ..." Like Bambara herself, Kenti is a storyteller. At the novel's conclusion, she organizes a play for the children as the adults discuss the community's state; it is Kenti who endeavors to create a "good last scene" as the story draws to a close. Moreover, she is an activist, unwilling to sit idly by and wait for change, because "she had her own work to do," even as her mother stands before the group to speak.
Beyond the nuclear family lies the extended family, primarily composed of a supportive network of women. Paulette, affectionately known as "Aunty Lette," is a nurse and a natural healer, as well as Zala's closest friend and neighbor. When Zala is overwhelmed, Paulette steps in to help her recover, tidying up her home and caring for the Spencer children, all while motivating Zala to take action. The novel concludes with Paulette's marriage, which brings renewed hope to the Spencer family. This event allows them to move forward and relocate to Paulette's former home. With more living space and a renewed dedication to one another, the family prospers, symbolized by Paulette's personal growth and her wedding.
The story also features other women healers—Marzala hails from a lineage of healers. When Sonny returns home, he is welcomed by Marzala's family, including her mother, Mama Lovey, and her sister, Gerry. They warmly embrace the Spencers, fostering an environment conducive to healing. However, everyone must find ways to connect, as Gerry, who only knows her work in Africa, strives to assist the Spencers with her insights. Gerry helps them comprehend Sonny's silence by sharing her perspective: "'I hope I'm making sense. It's the only context I know.'" The setting differs from Atlanta, as it is a place where healing occurs. Mama Lovey guides medical students through her garden, explaining the medicinal properties of the plants: "'Just one more instance of that law of life, time. Right now, it's poison. In a few days, good medicine.'" In this enchanting place, Sonny finds the potential for healing, as the evening primrose unexpectedly blooms in September under nurturing care.
Ultimately, it is Mama Lovey who urges Sonny to embrace honesty, telling him, "'... you'll be called upon real soon to do something big that requires the kind of straight-up courage you've let strangers trash somewhere.'" Although he attempts to deceive her by acting as if he won’t run away, she guides him to face the truth. Out of love for her daughter, Lovey assures Sonny that she will ensure he stays, for Marzala's well-being: "'You can mend. But my girl, you see, I don't think she could take your going off, and she's my child.'" With this revelation, Sonny surrenders to Lovey's comforting embrace, beginning his journey of healing and truth-telling.
