Ritualistic Process and the Structure of Paule Marshall's: Praisesong for The Widow

Author(s): Barbara T. Christian

Reviewed work(s):
Source: Callaloo, No. 18 (Spring - Summer, 1983), pp. 74-84
Published by: The Johns Hopkins University Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2930523 .
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74
RITUALISTIC PROCESS AND THE STRUCTURE
OF PAULE MARSHALL'S
PRAISESONG FOR THE WIDOW
by Barbara T. Christian
Praisesongfor the Widow is Paule Marshall's thirdnovel aftera
silence of thirteenyears. Like her other two novels, Brown Girl,
Brownstones
(1959) and The ChosenPlace, The TimelessPeople (1969),
hershortstoriesand hercollectionof novellas, Soul Clap Hands and
Sing(1961), PraisesongfortheWidowexplorestheculturalcontinuity
ofpeoplesofAfricandescent,fromSouthto NorthAmerica,as a stance
fromwhichto delineatethevalues of theNew World. Marshall'sentireopus focuseson theconsciousness
ofblackpeopleas theyremember,
and individual
retain,developtheirsenseofspiritual/sensual
integrity
selves, againstthe materialismthatcharacterizesAmericansocieties.
how the "shameful
Particularlyin hernovels, Marshall demonstrates
stone of false values,"' can block life's light, and how a visceral
of theirhistoryand ritualscan help black people transunderstanding
cend theirdisplacementand retaintheirwholeness.
Like herfirsttwo novels, Marshall'sPraisesongforthethe Widow
penetratessociety's structuresthroughthe illuminationof a black
herprotagonist's
woman'sexperiencewhileextending
discoveredtruths
to an entirecommunity.But while Selina Boyce in Brown Girl,
Brownstonesand Merle Kinbona in The Chosen Place, The Timeless
People are consciouslyconcernedwiththeirdevelopment,themiddleclass, middle-aged,seeminglycontentAvey Johnsonappears,at first,
to be an unlikelyheroine.Yet Praisesongforthe Widow buildson the
worldof charactersMarshallcreatedin herpreviousworks.Set in the
U.S. and theCaribbean,thisnoveldramatizesthelinksbetweenmyths
of bothAfro-American
and Afro-Caribbeancultureand uses themas
thebasis forthewidow, Avey Johnson,and herassessmentofherlife.
And in namingthenovelPraisesong,Marshallremindsus oftheAfrican
thereaderthatritualis at the
orginof hercharacters,whileinforming
novel's core.
Avey Johnson,a middle-class,middle-agedwidow, abruptlyleaves
theCaribbeancruisesheis on withtwo ofherfriends.Joltedby a recurringdreamin whichherlong dead greatauntcalls herback to Tatum,
to thesecurityofhersuburSouthCarolina,Avey insistson returning
ban home in WhitePlains, New York. Underthe strainof recurring
shemissestheplaneto New York. Strandedin Grenada,
hallucinations,
she is drawn into the yearlyfestivalin nearbyCarriacou, whichfor

75
islandpeople is theirannualexcursionofspiritualrejuvenation.In contrastto Avey's artificially
fattedcruise,thisexcursionis rootedin the
rhythmof thedrumand thecollectiveritualof thedance-similar to
the ritualsof Tatum and Brooklyn,New York, that Avey has left
behind.The widow rediscovershertruename,hertrueplace, obscured
foryears by her and her husband'spursuitof materialsecurity.
That is the plot, but hardlythe novel. For Marshall develops Avey
AvataraJohnson'sjourneyto wholenessby juxtaposingexternalrealitywithmemory,dream,hallucination-disjointedstatesof mind-in
whichthepast and thepresentfuse.And Marshalluses theseinternal
elementsto guideAvey back to externalrealityand back to earth.The
recurrent
motifthroughoutthenovel, thatthebody mightbe in one
place and the mindin another,is characterizednot as fragmentation
but as a source of wisdom, stemmingfroma historyof the forced
ofblacksin theWest. Ironically,how to recognizewhere
displacement
one's mindshould be, whateverthe fateof thebody, is presentedin
the novel as one of Avey's guides to becomingcentered,to being
restoredto theproperaxis fromwhichher feetcan feelthe richand
solid ground.Thus, anothermotifin the novel, a decidedlyAfrican
one, is therelationshipof one's feetto theearth,so thatone can stay
the course of history.2
The structure
of Praisesongreflectsthesemotifs.Marshall'snovels
have always emphasizedtherelationshipbetweencharacterand context,or thatbetweenshape and space. Some criticshave oftencomor sculpture.Praisesongalso
pared her literaryformsto architecture
sharesthisquality. The book is dividedinto fourparts: "Runagate,"
"Sleeper'sWake," "Lave Tete," and "The Beg Pardon," titlesthatnot
only indicateritualisticprocessbut also a change in Avey Johnson's
characterand context.
The title,"Runagate,"is takenfromRobertHayden'sfamouspoem
ofthatname,a poem whichstressestheslavepastofNew Worldblacks
and fugitiveescape frombondage. This highlyconcentrated
poem juxtaposesdifferent
imagesofescape as a runawayslave "runs,falls,rises,
stumbleson fromdarknessto darkness,"on his or herway to Freedom
in themythicNorth.Like thatarchetypalslave figure,Avey stumbles
fromdarknessto darkness.Ironically,herunconsciousrunforfreedom
takesherSouth,physicallySouthto theCaribbean,psychicallySouth
to Tatem, South Carolina, whileconsciouslyshe believesherpromised land to be North,hersafe,comfortable
homein NorthWhitePlains.
in
is
set
the
"Runagate" appropriately
shipcalled Bianca (white)Pride,
and is concernedwithAvey'splans to escape fromherphysicalfeeling
ofbloatednessand hermentaldiscomfort
at therecurrent
dreamof her

76
dead Aunt Cuney. For Avey, theantidoteto such dis-easeis another
haven of whiteness,NorthWhitePlains.
It is in thissectionthatMarshallestablishesthepervasivetechnique
of thenovel: thejuxtapositionof supposeddreamand supposedreality,splittingAvey's beingso thathermindmay be in one place while
herbody is in another.In thefirstfewpages of thebook, as Avey suddenlybeginspackingat night,Marshalltellsus that"Her [Avey's]mind
in a way wasn'teven in herbody or forthatmatterin theroom." (PS,
has, infact,beendisturbp. 10) We laterlearnthatAvey'sconsciousness
dream
of
her
aunt
who recountsher story
the
ed, disruptedby
great
of Ibo Landing,emphasizinghow herold gran'toldherthestory:"Her
body she always usta say mightbe in Tatem,but hermindwas long
gone with the Ibos." (PS, p. 39)
Like the Runagate in Hayden's poem, Avey's Great Aunt Cuney
recallshistory,thistimein theformof a ritual,which,likethewritten
poem, has thequalityof continuity,forit too can be passed on from
one generationto the next.In takingher grandniece to Ibo Landing
and to church,her religion,Cuney personalizesthe oldest of AfroAmericanstories.Like Toni Morrison'sShalimar,theblack man who
flewback to Africain Song of Solomon, Marshall'sIbos walked on
waterback to theirhome. "They feetswas gonna take 'em wherever
they was going that day .. .Stepping." (PS, p. 39) Neither the
slaveship,chains,northewatercould stopthem.This storyofAfricans
who wereforcedto comeacrossthesea-but throughtheirown power,
a power which seems irrational,were able to returnto Africa-is a
touchstoneof New Worldblack folklore.Throughthisstory,peoples
of Africandescentemphasizedtheirown power to determinetheir
freedom,thoughtheirbodies mightbe enslaved.They recalledAfrica
as the source of theirbeing.
Butthemiddle-classAvey Johnsonhas forgotten
thisstory,thecore
ofthe"strongniggerfeeling"of Baraka'spoem whichalso prefacesthis
section.We knowthisfromtherestofAvey'sdream,inwhichsheresists
herdead aunt,fearingdamageto herclothes,hermaterialpossessions.
concernedthather"open-toedpatent-leather
Avey is primarily
pumps
she was wearingforthefirsttimewould neversurvivethatmud flat
whichhad once been a rice field"(PS, p. 40). And it is the dust on
hernew shoes thatcauses herto "refuseto takeeven a singlestepforward. To ensurethis,shedughershoe heelsintothedirtand loststones
at herfeet."(PS, p. 41). UnliketheIbos, Avey refusesto take a step,
untilherdreamof heraunt'sassaulton herbody causes herto change
her mind. She suddenlyleaves her Caribbean cruiseforthesafetyof
her well-furnished
diningroom.

77

It is thememoryof herpast, thememoryof a ritualin thepast that

forcesAvey to embarkon her own personalritualof cleansing,healThus thefirststepin theritualofhealingis often
ingand enpowerment.
thefeltneedforhealing,althoughthecause ofdiseasemaybe unknown.
Oftenthatfeltneed, as in Africanritual,is expressedin theconfusion
ofthesensesor of outerand innerreality.While"Runagate"is thefirst
stepin theritualcalled Praisesong,thissection,like all theothersectionsof the book, is a ritualin itself.For at its centeris Great Aunt
Cuney'sritualexpressedin Avey's dream. Ironically,it is dreamthat
startlesAvey fromher long unnaturalsleep.
The second section,"Sleeper'sWake," is just that-a wake forthe
past,as well as awakingfromthepast. Again themotifof therelationshipbetweenmindand body is sketchedout. "Sleeper'sWake" is the
mostintrospective
sectionof thenovel. The actiontakesplace entirely
in Avey's mindwhileherlimpbody is stranded,displacedin a Grenadian hotel. Because her body is cut offfromnormalroutine,Avey's
mind is freeto roam throughtimeand space.
In reviewinghermarriageto JeromeJohnson,Avey bothcelebrates
thejoyfulritualsof theirearlylifetogetherand beginsto understand
how theydishonoredthemselves,and lost trackof theirspiritsuntil
theirfaceswereno longerrecognizableevento themselves.
To mymind,
thissectionincludessome of Marshall'sbest prose in her25 years of
fictionwriting.She is one of a fewAmericannovelistswho respectfully penetratesthe complexinteractionof black women and men, and
who demonstrateshow race and genderfuse to affectthe quality of
theirrelationships.In describingthedeclineof thespiritof a marriage,
as she does in BrownGirl,Brownstones,she recountshow femaleand
male roleshelp to determineAvey and Jay'sspecificreactionsto their
condition.Butwhilethemarriageof Silla and DeightonBoycein Marshall'sfirstnovel is overtlytragic,theJohnson'smarriageappears to
be successfulto theouterworld,even to theparticipantsthemselves,
because theyaccept the"shamefulstoneof falsevalues." In accepting
and achievingtheAmericandream,theydishonorthemselves,
as black,
as woman and man.
The motifthroughoutthissectionis JayJohnson'swords to Avey
on thatfatefulTuesdaynight:"Do you knowwho you soundlike,who
you evenlook like,"(PS, p. 106), wordsthatonce spokenare thebeginintoJerome
Johnson,a blackman
ningofJayJohnson'stransformation
of propertywho leaves his heritagebehind.Like Silla in BrownGirl,
Brownstones,Jay knows poverty and its possible attendantsof
dehumanizationand spiritualdeath.Ironically,in tryingto avoid such
a fate,he and Avey commita kind of spiritualsuicide,fortheygive
up theirmusic, heritage,sensuality,theirexpressionof themselves:

78
Moreover(and again she only sensedthisin thedimmestway),
somethingin those small rites,an ethos theyheld in common,
had reachedback beyondherlifeand beyondJay'sto join them
to thevast unknownlineagethathad made theirbeingpossible.
And thislink theseconnections,heard in the music and in the
praisesongsof a Sunday. " . . . I bathedin the Euphrateswhen
dawnswere/ young... " had bothprotectedthemand putthem
in possession of a kind of power .... (PS, p. 137)
And Avey, recallinghergreataunt'swords,concludesthat"a certain
distanceof themindand hearthad been absolutelyessential. . . (PS,
p. 139), ifshe and herhusbandwereto have retainedtheirsenseofself.
ButMarshalldoes notpresenttheJohnsons'
failureeitheras inevitable
or as theresultsolelyof weakness.She is able to maintain,in hernarrative,a tensionbetweenblack people's need to surviveand develop
in America,and theirevenmoreimportant
need to sustainthemselves.
UnlikeMorrisonin Tar Baby, Marshall does not presentthese two
elementsofblack lifeas mutuallyexclusive;rathersheshowshow complexand interrelated
theyare. In herdescriptionof theJohnson'searly
marriage,she pointsup theircommonheritage:themusic,thepoetry
ofHughes,Dunbar, JamesW. Johnson;theirritualsthatacknowledge
theirown beauty and richness,elementsthatare one strandof their
culture.But Marshall also presentsanotherstrand,the screamingof
the woman in the streetchasingher no-good husband (the woman
whom Jayaccuses her of resembling),thebeatingof a black man by
a cop, the racismthatbites at theirheels and eats into theirlives as
woman and man. Marshallexpressesboththepleasureand pain ofbeinga poor blackcouplein America,and how precariousAveyand Jay's
footingis-precariousiftheysuccumbto thepoverty,precariousifthey
lose theirfootingon "therichnurturing
groundfromwhich[they]could
always turnfor sustenance"(PS, p. 12).
Avey's mourningof her marriedlifeis, as it mustbe-a raging,a
release of anger at the loss of her husband, at the loss of herself.
"Sleeper'sWake," ends withAvey peelingoffher gloves,hat, girdle,
thematerialtrappingsoverwhichshe and hergreatauntfoughtin her
dreamsand withherangrywords,"Too Much! Too Much! Too Much!
Ragingas she slept."It is thereleaseof anger,in thissceneof traumatic
thatallows her,thiscontainedwidowfromWhitePlains,
reawakening,
to "open up thebars of herbody" (PS, p. 148) so thather mindand
body can be healed.
In "Lave Tete," the bars of Avey's body do begin to open, as her
mindwipesitselfclean. This sectionbeginswithAvey'sdreamofa soiled baby who needs changing,a baby whichAvey discoverswhenshe

79
awakens,is herself.The titleofthissectionrefersto theHaitianvoodoo
ceremonyin whichone is washed clean.3It is an appropriatetitlefor
thissection,since in reviewingand assessingher past Avey's mindis
"likea slatethathas beenwipedclean,a tabularasa uponwhicha whole
new historycould be written."(PS, p. 151) She is, formuch of this
section,a child. In dressingherself,she acts like a two year old, no
longerconcernedwithhow she looks. Her walk down theGrenadian
beach is like thatof a baby seeingeach shell,each leaf,each tree,for
thefirsttime.It is theseemingly
state,in whichhermind
contradictory
is suspendedto her usual reality,yet optimallyawake to what really
existsaroundher,thatgivesherthefeelingofbeinga child.Thistrancelikestateof mindmoves hertowardthechildhoodmemoriesof communityritualsthatformthecore ofthissection,and towardsherchildlikerelationship
withLebertJoseph,thedominantpersonin thissection.
Afterhergreataunt Cuney, old man Josephis Avey's guide to the
wholenessthatshe is unconsciously
seeking.Likehergreataunt,Joseph
is "oneofthoseold peoplewho gave theimpression
ofhavingundergone
a lifetime
oftrialby firewhichtheysomehowmanagedto turnto their
own good in theend . . . Old people who have theessentialsto go on
forever."(PS, p. 161) And likeCuney'shomein Tatum,his Grenadian
"dirtfloorunderAvey Johnson'sfeetfeltas hard and smoothas terrazzo and as cool." (PS, p. 159) He is an apt parentforthe bloated
ground,for,likeAunt
Avey who has lostherfootingon thenurturing
he
revers
The
Old
and
is
concerned
withidentityand
Parents,
Cuney,
itsrelationshipto continuityand regeneration.
As Aunt Cuney is her
spiritualmother,so thisold man is herspiritualfather.But theseOld
Parents have also been able to go beyond gender and conflictto
somethingdeeper,moreessential.Thus Cuney stridesthefieldlike a
warriorin herhusband'sbrogansand Lebertdances theJubain an imaginaryskirt.
Likea parent,LebertJosephgivesAvey shelter,sustenanceand rest.
Partly,because he is an elder, livingin a place of special lightand
silence,partlybecause of herchild-likestateof mind,Avey is able to
confessherdreamof theold aunt. Eldersin Africaand in New World
Black communitiesare knownfortheirabilityto interpret
dreams.It
is no wonderLebertJosephis able to performthisfunction.But what
is importantto thenovel's ritualisticstructure
is thatAvey musttake
a step thatclearlydividesherrecentpast fromherpresent.In calling
herto theexcursionin Carriacou,in callingherback to Ibo Landing,
Avey's "parents"are guidingher to a deeperstate of being thatwas
alwayspotentiallyhers.Thus, likeCuney,Lebertis willingto struggle
with the Avey Johnsonthiswidow imaginesherselfto be:

80
They had reacheda finalsilence.The man who, fromhis look,
had knownall herobjectionsbeforetheywereeven born in her
thoughts,sat quietlywaiting,his eyes on her. Across theway,
Avey Johnsonwas leaningwearilyagainstthe table. She feltas
exhaustedas ifshe and theold man had been fighting-actually,
physicallyfighting,
knockingover the tables and chairsin the
roomas theybattledwitheach otheroverthedirtfloor-and that
forall his appearance of frailityhe had proven the strongerof
the two. (PS, p. 184)
Exhaustedby herdreamof herauntin "Runagate,"by herassessment
ofherpastin "Sleeper'sWake,"and soothedby thesilenceand tempered
lightof the place, she takes thatstep.
But in orderto trulyexperiencethe ritualthat awaits her, Avey's
body mustalso be cleansed. Her mind(since, it is whereit oughtto
thisprocess,forit is hercomparisonof theCarriacouexbe) triggers
cursionwiththatofthememoriesofherchildhoodthatallow herbody
to let go. Avey's prominentmemoriesin thissectionemphasizecommunalrituals:thatof New York blacks' annual boat rideup theHudson and the churchof her childhood.
The techniqueof juxtaposing,thenfusingpast and presentwhich
pervadesPraisesong,is strongestin thissectionof thenovel. As Avey
watchesthepeopleboardtheEmmanuelC (Christ'sname)to Carriacou,
she relivestheboardingof herchildhoodcommunityuntotheRobert
out
Fulton,whenshe imagined"hundredsofslenderthreadsstreaming
of her navel and fromthe place whereher heartwas to enterthem
around her." (PS, p. 190) So too herchildhoodexperiencein church
is triggeredby the old women on the EmmanuelC who protecther
in her crossingover. These women could have been the "presiding
mothersofMountOlivetBaptists(herown mother'schurchlongago)"
(PS, p. 194) who also helpedthecongregationto crossover. As these
mothersprotectAveyin thepassageto land,sheremembers
a childhood
EasterSundayand thepreacher'sadmonitionthat"theshamefulstone
of false values" preventsthe brightlightof the soul fromshining.It
is his cry,like "cosmicstones,"thatreleasesthe bloat of artificalfat
in herbody. Shoredby thesisters,herbody is beingfreedto become
as essentialin formas herAuntCuney'sor LebertJoseph's.Also, MarshallcomparesAvey's seasicknessand herjettisonofnon-essentials
to
that of the Middle Passage. Avey had "the impressionas her mind
flickeredon brieflyof otherbodies lyingcrowded in withher in the
hot airlessdark. Their suffering-thedepthof it, the weightof it in
the crampedspace-made hers of no consequence"(PS, p. 209).

81

Thus Avey's body, throughnausea and excretion(supposedly

naturalacts) relievesitself,even as hermind
shameful,yetthoroughly
her
to
grasps
relationship thosearoundher,thoughhistory,memory,
betweenAfro-Caribbean
experience.And by stressingthesimilarities
rituals,thoseof blacks in Tatum and in New York, Marshallhelpsus
to see the interrelatedness
and depthof the black past. Avey is now
thesoiledbaby, thedreamwithwhichthissectionbegan.Now shecan
be washedclean in mindand body and pass on to thefinaland deepest
level of the ritual,"The Beg Pardon."
In a real sense, the restof thenovel is a preparationfor"The Beg
Pardon,"theritualat theend whichis thenaturalcontinuationofAunt
Cuney'sritualwhichdominatesthebeginningof thebook. Thus this
fromtheothersections-not witha disrupsectionbeginsdifferently
tionin Avey's consciousnessbut witha descriptionof thepreparation
fortheritual.Peace ratherthandisruptionpermeatesthissection,the
shortestone in the book and the one most rooted in the present.In
"Runagate,""Sleeper'sWake," and "Lave Tete," much of the action
takesplace in Avey's head and in relationto herperson.In "The Beg
Pardon,"thoughAvey is stillfocal,theemphasisis on a wholepeople,
on theirexpressionof the linksbetweenthe presentand the past.
Still,Aveyis a novitiate,and mustbe preparedforherfirstBigDrum.
When she awakens in Carriacou,her body feelsas her mindhad felt
on her firstmorningin Grenada: "Flat, numb, emptied,it had been
as hermindwhenshe awoke yesterdaymorning,unable to recognize
anythingand withthesenseof a yawninghole whereherlifehad once
been"(PS, p. 214). Likehermind,herbodymustbe healed.The bathing
rite,thelayingon of hands whichRosalie Parvay performson Avey
is
is sensualin a pleasureableway, as Avey's expulsionof artificiality
sensual in a horrifying
way. Centralto Africanritualis the concept
thatthebody and spiritare one. Thus sensualityis essentialto theprocess of healingand rebirthof thespirit.Justas themotherson theEmmanuel C shoredAvey's body up, so Rosalie washes her body as if
she werea new-born,stretching
herlimbstheway she did thoseof her
The bathingritual
own childrenso thattheirlimbswouldgrowstraight.
also takesAvey throughchildhoodto womanhood.Rosaliekneadsher
thighscreatingthesensationthatradiatesout intoherloins. It is only
alive: "All thetendons,nerves
thenthatherbody becomesthoroughly
had beenstrucka powerfulchord
and muscleswhichstrunghertogether
and the reverberation
could be heard in the remotestcornersof her
body" (PS, p. 224). That Avey is now readyto assume heradult role
is emphasizedby Rosalie's utterance,"Bon" (Good), the same word
thatthepresidingmothershad utteredover thesickwidow on theEmmanuel C.

82
The slave "runs,falls,rises,stumblesfromdarknessto darkness,"
in RobertHayden'spoem. Darknesswhichhas itsown lightis thecontextforthe Big Drum in Carriacou, a land whichforAvey is "more
a miragethanan actual place" (PS, p. 254). Like herdreamof Tatum,
Carriacouseemsto have beenconjuredup to satisfya longing,a need.
Gone is thesleekwhitenessof the Bianca Pride,NorthWhitePlains,
thewhitehotelof Grenada,and in itsplace is a naturaldarkness.And
climbAvey must,withherown feet,ifshe is to reachthehealingcircle
of The Big Drum.
The ritualwhichAveyobserves,dimlyremembers
and thenparticipates
a
correct
is
collective
of
in,
naming,celebraprocess beggingpardon,
tion and honoring.It is also a ceremonythatcombinesritualsfrom
severalblacksocieties:theRingDances ofTatum,theBojanglesofNew
of thevariousAfrican
York, thevoodoo drumsof Haiti, therhythms
to
the
New
World.
Here
elements
are fusedand pared
peoplesbrought
down to theiressentials:"It was theessenceof somethingratherthan
thethingitselfshewas witnessing"
(PS, p. 240). Butitis also specifically
theembodimentof thehistoryand cultureof New WorldBlacks.Avey
Afro-American
hears thenote thatdistinguishes
blues, spiritualsand
Afro-Caribbean
and
Brazilian
music,a music
jazz,
Calypso
Reggae,
thatis almostnon-music,whichsoundslikethe"distillationof a thousand sorrowsongs ..."
The theme of separation and loss the note embodied, the
unacknowledgedlongingit conveyedsummedup feelingsthat
werebeyondwords,feelingsand a host of subliminalmemories
thatovertheyearshad provenmoredurableand trustworthy
than
thehistorywithitstraumaand pain out ofwhichtheyhad come.
Aftercenturiesof forgetfulness
and even denial, theyrefusedto
The
was
thatcouldhardlyhave come
note
a
lamentation
go away.
fromtherumkeg of a drum.Its sourcehad to be theheart,the
innermostchamberof thecollectiveheart.
bruisedstill-bleeding
(PS, p. 245)
As withthemusic,so too withthedance,so pareddownto itsAfrican
essentials,thatit is a non-dance,in whichthebody is unleashed,but
thesoles ofone's feetmustneverleave theground.It is thisknowledge
of thebody as well as of themindthattakesAvey across to theconshe had once knownin theRobertFulton,to theRingDances
fraternity
of Tatum, the dances she sharedwith her husband, the essence that
had always been there-"the shuffledesignedto stay the course of
history"(PS, p. 250). That Avey now recognizesherselfas Avatara,
is also essentialto the ritual,forin Africancosmologyit is through

83
nommo,throughthecorrectnamingof a thing,thatit comes intoexistence.By knowingher propername, Avey becomes herself.
AveyAvataraJohnsonmust,as we all, BegPardon,forherexcesses,
ifshe is to be freein herselfand in theworld.And yettheBeg Pardon,
thougha triumphof humility,is not a humiliation.As Alice Walker
learnsfromhermotherin thepoem, "Good NightWillieLee . . . "so
Avey finallylearnsfromthe Old Parentsthat:
the healing
of all our wounds
is forgiveness
thatpermitsa promise
of our return
at the end.4
Marshall'snovel is indeeda praisesong:it is an Africanritualthat
shows therelationshipbetweentheindividualand thecommunityby
theessenceofa lifeso thatfuturegenerationsmayflourish.
recounting
It is a praisesong,not only forAvey Johnson,but forthe perennial
Avey Johnsonsin Afro-Americanhistory,who succumb to the
of body
"shamefulstoneof falsevalues," only to seek theattunement
and spiritbecause of an insistent,seeminglyarationalmemoryof collectivityand wholeness.UnlikeToni Morrison'sskepticalTar Baby,
Marshall'sPraisesonginsiststhatNew World black ritualsare living
and functional,and thattheycontain,whethertheyare in Northor
South America,an essentialtruth:thatbeyond rationality,thebody
and spiritmustnot be splitby the "shamefulstone of false values,"
thatwe mustfeel,withhumility,"thenurturing
groundfromwhich
[we] have sprungand to which[we] can always turnforsustenance."
Thus, Paule Marshall,like Avey Johnson,mustcontinuetheprocess
by passingon the rituals.And thisfunctionis finallythe essence of
her praisesong.

84

Footnotes
1PauleMarshall,Praisesongfor The Widow (New York: G.P. Putare includedin the
nam's Sons, 1983), p. 201. Subsequentreferences
text.
2Fora generalstudyof Africancosmology,see JohnMbiti,African
Religionsand Philosophy(New York: Doubleday/Anchor,1970). For
a studyof ritualin AfricanLiterature,see WilfredCartey,Whispers
Froma Continent(New York: Vintage,1969).
3 For a
general study of Haitian Voodoo, see Michel Laguerre's
works,especiallyVoodoo Heritage(Sage Press, 1976).
4AliceWalker,"Good Night,Willie Lee, I'll See You in The Morning,"Good Night,WillieLee, I'll See You in The Morning(New York:
Dial Press, 1979).