Introduction
In Search of Our Mothers Gardens by Alice Walker is a collection of articles shaped by what she refers to as the womanist concept. The compilation, released in 1983, includes articles, essays, assessments, critiques, and speeches written by the same author from 1966 to 1982. Walker (1983) identifies a womanist as a black feminist or a feminist of color at the start of the book. In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens appeals to every woman, offering hope, restoration, completeness, and an idea of achieving enlightenment and transformation in a world that often disregards all of these being attainable.
The entire set establishes and communicates a womanist worldview with love, respect, spiritual devotion, and calls for change. Walker explores this by thinking critically about both society and herself. She primarily contends that role models are crucial in directing the behavior of black women, who often show extraordinary tenacity, ingenuity, and other achievements in a manner that was and is typically underappreciated.
Discussion
Walker starts by highlighting how women of color have endured such horrific violence that it has oftentimes seemed as though they have become saints devoid of any sense of identity, existing only as objects to be used by others. She suggests that although society did not provide these women with a platform for their creativity, they were deeply disappointed artists who occasionally found a way to express themselves. Walker (1983) uses Phillis Wheatley as an example, highlighting her time as an enslaved person in the 1700s and how she overcame it using her poetic talent.
She draws attention to the brief period in which she expresses her lyrical skills without interference from a white guy. She then delves into the alleged idea that had she prioritized being a mother, she might have been somewhere else. Walker demonstrates that “It is not so much what you sang, as that you kept alive, in so many of our ancestors, the notion of song,” even though her work was by no means regarded remarkable at the time (Walker, 1983, p.237). Using Wheatley’s accomplishments as an example, she refutes Virginia Woolf’s claim that a woman requires money and a private space to write.
Walker also makes the case and provides evidence for the artistic prowess of Black American moms, grandmothers, and daughters who were oppressed both in their community when they were growing up and during their captivity. Walker (1983) claims that black women have always been compelled to put all their ingenuity into household chores. Walker looks at her mother’s gardens, highlighting their beauty and how they reflect her love and creative spirit.
She explains that black women in the United States were deprived of artistic outlets for their desires because they lacked the means or the time to create art, sculpt, or write. In many cases, they were even prevented from learning to read, but that was not enough to stop them from producing. There are many things a woman can do to exhibit her artistic side, such as cooking, quilting, and gardening.
The author extensively uses imagery to demonstrate the enslaved people’s artistic talent and the obstacles that prevented them from pursuing it. Alice compared her existence to that of a subjugated person, taking into account her mother’s responsibilities both within and outside their home. Although she refrains from saying it out loud, she attempts to draw a comparison.
Her mother had to take care of her entire family in her situation (Walker, 1983). She put in a lot of effort and worked long hours to care for them by cooking and preparing their clothes. Since she lacked the time to study many artistic mediums or produce art, she created and maintained exquisite gardens that revealed her inner self. Her mother’s labor to care for her and others was essential to keeping the outside world and other people out of her life.
Furthermore, Walker uses the example of quilts in the Smithsonian to showcase women’s creativity. She indicates, “In the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., there hangs a quilt unlike another in the world; it portrays the crucifixion story. It is considered rare, beyond price. Though it follows no known pattern of quilt making…it is the work of a person of powerful imagination and deep spiritual feeling…a note that says it was made by “an anonymous Black woman in Alabama, a hundred years ago” (Walker, 1983, p.267).
This illustration of art serves a practical purpose in addition to allowing a lady to express herself. This clarified that the woman, like Alice’s mother, displayed her artistic aptitude despite having little backing or materials. After all this time, the Black American woman’s creative ability through poetry, singing, and art was preserved by this power of grit and spirit. That, and optimism that things would improve and that people would be able to express who they were in the future.
The book also sheds light on a bygone era that saw many trailblazers who paved the way for women’s independence and artistic expression. The opening piece discusses the value of role models in women’s lives. Walker asserts that the suicide of Vincent Van Gogh serves as evidence that having no examples to emulate in life can be dangerous. Finding inspiration is crucial for an artist to understand their creative potential and form a vision for their life, according to Walker (1983). She offers a variety of models throughout the book, many of whom were longtime favorites and silent and unnoticed for their labors in the gardens or creating handcrafted quilts.
Walker talks affectionately and respectfully about Flannery O’Connor, Jean Toomer, Langston Hughes, and Zora Neale Hurston. She then turns to Hurston, detailing her 1973 search for and marking her ancestor mentor’s grave. Hurston, a black lady, reportedly had a particular place in Walker’s heart for encouraging her to become an exceptional artist.
Walker commits an extra essay to Hurston as an additional token of her admiration for her. Her argument in “Zora Neale Hurston: A Cautionary Tale and a Partisan View” is that Hurston was a notable American author, folklorist, and anthropologist who should be recognized and honored (Walker, 1983). In this sense, Walker fosters a sense of philosophical intertextuality and unity between the artists of the past and present. This produces a potent dynamic in which one recognizes their creative freedom but realizes they must direct it toward a goal that establishes a connection between the artist and others.
Conclusion
Generally speaking, In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens relates to all women and presents a notion known as womanism that can lead to insight, hope, and transformation. Since the book’s release, womanism has taken on a life of its own for a large number of women and, to a lesser extent, males. Cinema education, theological subjects, and literature are academic and popular fields with feminist theories and commentary. Walker believes there is no separation between feminism and womanism, even though it can be challenging to do so. Her stories primarily focus on black women’s creativity, resiliency, and capacity to overcome social obstacles and rise to assert their rights.
Reference
Walker, A. (1983). In search of our mothers’ gardens: Womanist prose. Betascript Publishing.