Marcus
The last chapter of the novel is about Marcus, who is Carson “Sonny” Clifton and Amani Zulema’s son. Marcus is a student getting his Ph.D. in sociology at Stanford University. Since Marcus is studying at Stanford, he hasn’t seen his parents in a long time, but he remembers all the stories his father told him about his family history and heritage. He researches history since he wanted to write a book that discusses systematic oppression in America, but feels very overwhelmed about his family’s personal relationship to this historical oppression. Marcus meets Marjorie, and the two of them become friends as they learn that they have a similar family origin. The chapter starts by introducing Marcus’ fear of water however, it ends with Marcus and Marjorie swimming in water - indicating that he could overcome his fear.
The chapter begins with the idea of Marcus being afraid of water and how uncomfortable it made him feel. This was because his father always told him stories about the various issues their family had faced in history as well as the racial injustice in America. There were many stories that Sonny had told Marcus that were not in his traditional history books, but when Marcus was in college, he started researching more about the stories his father told him and found that they were true stories about his family as well as his heritage.
Diante was Marcus’ friend in college and he was someone who reminded him of home. Diante was the one who made Marcus go to different events and parties in college - one being the party hosted by a lesbian couple that Diante knew.
Marcus hadn’t seen his parents in a very long time and since he missed Harlem, he used to call them every week on a Sunday afternoon because that was the time his entire family would be in Ma Willie’s house after church. He has vivid memories of his grandmother’s voice since it made him feel strong feelings of hope, love and faith. There were certain moments where Marcus hoped his family would be together in different situations.
Marcus is getting his Ph.D. in sociology at Stanford University. At college, he tries to research a lot about his family heritage. He wanted to focus on Great Grandpa H. and his life but he realised that his family heritage is too vast and he would have to focus on Grandma Willie and his father, along with other historical events such as the great migration. The entire family history made Marcus feel very overwhelmed and frustrated at times.
Marcus meets Marjorie at a party and feels an instant sense of comfort from her presence. Both of them found comfort in opening up about their family heritage as well as their fears. Marcus told Marjorie that he was afraid of water, while Marjorie revealed to him that she was afraid of fire. They spent a lot of time together trying to learn more about their family heritage by finding people who would know Marcus’s great-grandpa H, as well as doing research on Pratt City. The both of them also visit Ghana together. Marcus learnt a lot about Ghana from Marjorie since she showed him the Cape Coast Castle and also taught him words in Fante. During their visit to the Castle was where both of them were able to overcome their fear of fire and water, at the place where both elements came together.
Character Analysis
Major Themes and Images
Key Quotations
“Marcus doesn’t care for water; the ocean had always nauseated him. His father, Sonny, had told him that black people didn’t like water because they were brought over on slave ships.” (284)
This quotation is this first sentence as the chapter opens. It relates to the key theme of identity and slavery which is prevalent in this chapter since it shows how although Marcus did not personally experience going into slave ships, the fact that he feels the discomfort of it shows how he has inherited his family's heritage. This quote also features the effects that slavery had on individuals who were facing it.
“In that room, with his family, he would sometimes imagine a different room, a fuller family. He would imagine so hard that at times he thought he could see them. Sometimes in a hut in Africa, a patriarch holding a machete; sometimes outside in a forest of palm trees, a crowd watching a young woman carrying a bucket on her head; sometimes in a cramped apartment with too many kids, or a small, failing farm, around a burning tree or in a classroom. He would see these things while his grandmother prayed and sang, prayed and sang, and he would want so badly for all the people he made up in his head to be there in that room, with him.” (290)
This passage relates to the theme of identity as well as family since it is describing the image that Marcus would have liked to see of his family. The theme of heritage is significant in this quote with the image of a forest of palm trees and a woman carrying a bucket on her head which links to the culture in Ghana. The theme of family is prevalent throughout since it is something that Marcus had longed for, and his grandmothers song was what evoked these images in his mind. There is the image of fire in this quote, where it states “around a burning tree” which could be a link to Effia and the significance of fire when she was born and the pain and suffering that her descendants would have to face. Although Marcus himself comes from Esi’s side of the family, the fire could be a link to Effia’s side.
“I hate the beach,” Marcus said. At first Marjorie smiled at him, like she was going to start laughing, but then she stopped, and her eyes turned serious. “Are you scared of it?” she asked. She let her finger drift slowly from the edge of the map down to the wall. She rested her hand against the black stone necklace she wore every day. “Yeah, I guess I am,” Marcus said. He had never told anyone before. “My grandmother said she could hear the people who were stuck on the ocean floor talking to her. Our ancestors. She was kind of crazy.” “That don’t sound crazy to me. Shit, everybody in my grandma’s church caught a spirit at one point or another. Just because somebody sees or hears or feels something other folks can’t, doesn’t mean they’re crazy. My grandma used to say, ‘A blind man don’t call us crazy for seeing.’ ” Now Marjorie gave him a real smile. “You want to know what I’m scared of?” she asked, and he nodded. He had learned not to be surprised by how forthcoming she was. How she never gave in to small talk, just dove right into deep waters. “Fire,” she said. (293-294)
In this passage the key idea of fire and water is explored. Marcus’s fear is water, while Marjorie’s fear is fire, however, when they come together they are able to overcome it. It also explains how both of them got their fears due to their family heritage and stories that their elders have told them. Marjorie’s father had an incident with fire which was what evoked her fear, while Marcus’s fear was evoked by the stories his father told him. The image of fire could connote to the slave trade that her family had faced. The image of water could connote to the idea of family being separated since it was in the slave ships in which the black men were shipped to be slaves. The key theme of heritage and identity is explored in this passage because of the influence that history had on both sides of the family Effia’s and Esi’s.
How could he explain to Marjorie that he wasn’t supposed to be here? Alive. Free. That the fact that he had been born, that he wasn’t in a jail cell somewhere, was not by dint of his pulling himself up by the bootstraps, not by hard work or belief in the American Dream, but by mere chance.
This quotation links to the theme of identity, history of slavery and family since it explored the idea of how Marcus feels about the fact that although his family faced many issues of systemic oppression and racism, he is still able to live a life that has more freedom than what his family members had lived through in the past.
Historical Context & Additional Resources
This page has paths:
- Part Two Maya Aghasi