'She Shall Not Be Moved': Black Women's Spiritual Practice in Toni Morrison's the Bluest Eye, Beloved, Paradise
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University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School January 2015 'She Shall Not Be Moved': Black Women's Spiritual Practice in Toni Morrison's The luesB t Eye, Beloved, Paradise, and Home Rondrea Danielle Mathis University of South Florida, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the African American Studies Commons, American Literature Commons, and the Women's Studies Commons Scholar Commons Citation Mathis, Rondrea Danielle, "'She Shall Not Be Moved': Black Women's Spiritual Practice in Toni Morrison's The lueB st Eye, Beloved, Paradise, and Home" (2015). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/5737 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ‘She Shall Not Be Moved’: Black Women’s Spiritual Practice in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, Beloved, Paradise, and Home by Rondrea Danielle Mathis A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of English College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida Major Professor: Diane Price-Herndl, Ph.D. Gurleen Grewal, Ph.D. Nicole Discenza, Ph.D. Clarissa West-White, Ph.D. Date of Approval July 15, 2015 Keywords: African American literature, spirituality, African Diaspora Copyright © 2015, Rondrea Danielle Mathis Dedication To Him who sits on the throne, and unto the Lamb, be all glory and honor and wisdom and power forever. Lord, I thank you for hearing and answering my prayers. You have been my writing hand and my intelligent thought. This degree belongs only to You. Acknowledgments When I needed a capable mentor and guide, Dr. Diane Price-Herndl stepped into my life and agreed to chair my dissertation. Because she is so phenomenal, many others had already asked (and she lovingly agreed), but she still thought it not robbery to guide me to the finish line. I’m grateful for the lessons taught in and out of class. I also thank my committee: Dr. Gurleen Grewal, Dr. Nicole Discenza, and Dr. Clarissa West- White. All of these women embody scholarship and giftedness through literature, and I appreciate all of their support. Thank you also to the office staff in the English Department, especially Jimmy and Lee. To Meredith Clark: without you, this dissertation would literally have not been written. Thank you for lending me your MacBook when mine was stolen. To my Rattlers of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University—professors, classmates, colleagues, and friends—: I would not be here without the foundation that is Florida A&M. To Dr. Yakini Kemp, Dr. Emma Waters-Dawson, Dr. Leesther Thomas, and Nandi Riley who taught me how to love and teach English. The Lord blessed me with this HBCU that sits on the highest of seven hills in Tallahassee. Also, special thanks to the Rattlers of the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Florida A&M University National Alumni Association. You were my family in Tampa. To my sisters: Talethia, Tiffany, Jennifer, Tashara, Sheena, I love you forever. To Natalie, Yewande, and Keneshia: thank you for showing me sisterhood. I am thankful to BLS for listening when I needed an ear. John, my PhD and road guide. You helped me avoid mistakes I couldn’t see. Quinton, thank you for being a friend. Kianta, thank you for keeping me engaged with the world outside of my MacBook. To my ladies of the National Council of Negro Women at the University of South Florida, I am grateful for every day you allowed me to serve as advisor. I am thankful for the relationships built, programs attended, and growth received. I see me in you, and I see you in me. Continue to embody a love for service. I am grateful for the blessing that is the CHAMPs Ministry at Heritage Christian Community Baptist Church. I am also grateful to my pastor, the Reverend Dr. Delores Cain, the deacons, deaconesses, and ministers who never neglected to pray for me. Special thanks to Tangela Serls, my sister-friend and first Tampa friend. Thank you for being company on this journey. With abundant thanks and a grateful heart, I acknowledge the unwavering support of Jonathan Thomas Hall, who, literally, has been here every single step of the way and every day I have worked on this degree. I’m grateful to you for praying for me and with me. I am grateful for the nights you stayed on the phone and the mornings you woke up to check on me. I am grateful for your patience and love, and I am humbled by your presence. God blessed me real good. To the love of my life, my friend, and my life partner, Gian Staley, I am so thankful that you came exactly when I needed you. You support me, love me, and encourage me to do and be better. I love you dearly and deeply. Lastly, I am thankful for family. My mother and my father for bringing me into this world and carrying me through it. I’m thankful to my dad for always being my strongest support system and telling all his friends that he knew a doctor even before I was one and my mom for her presence, prayers, and wisdom. I thank my granny for teaching me the value of the earth. I give honor to the ancestors for charting my way and staying alive long enough to birth those who would one day birth me. Ubuntu: I am because we are. Sankofa: Go back and fetch it. Ashé and amen. i Table of Contents List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. iii Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... iv Cool Springs of Hope, or Who Were These Saints ...................................................................... 2 A Womanist Framework .................................................................................................... 6 Locating the Silences ........................................................................................................ 13 Organization ...................................................................................................................... 16 A Fire Shut Up in Her Bones, or I Found God in Myself: A Morrisonian Theological Worldview ............................................................................................................................... 23 In History and Literature: God’s Immaculate Presence .................................................... 24 The Church as the Foundation of Faith ............................................................................ 36 Acknowledging the Presence of God ............................................................................... 43 Other Acts of Service ....................................................................................................... 50 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 62 I Belong to Myself, or Body, Eyes, Memory ............................................................................... 64 The History of Black Womanhood .................................................................................. 66 Understanding Minority Status ........................................................................................ 72 Unity at the Margins ........................................................................................................ 85 Moving from the Margins into the Fabric ........................................................................ 91 A Transcendent Female Identity ...................................................................................... 97 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 103 The South in Her, or Nurturing Her Creative Spirit .................................................................. 105 The Blackness of the Practice ........................................................................................ 106 Learning the Ground ...................................................................................................... 111 Marking Lives by the Land ............................................................................................ 119 Making the Land Work .................................................................................................. 125 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 130 Come Together in This Meeting Ground, or I Stand As Ten Thousand ..................................... 132 The Importance of Generations ..................................................................................... 134 The Creation of Community .......................................................................................... 138 The People and Their Communities .............................................................................. 144 Functions of the Communities ....................................................................................... 152 The Necessity of Care .................................................................................................... 158 Community and Unity ...................................................................................................