The Conjure Woman: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Conjure Woman" is a collection of short stories that explores themes of witchcraft and the complexities of human relationships through the lens of Southern African American culture. The narrative is centered around a narrator, a grape farmer from Ohio who moves to North Carolina with his wife, Annie, due to her ill health. Upon settling on a dilapidated plantation, he hires Uncle Julius, an elderly Black man whose tales of conjure and witchcraft serve both as entertainment and as a means to protect his interests.
Uncle Julius is a pivotal character who often shares stories that reflect the struggles and resilience of Black individuals in the face of adversity. Through these anecdotes, we encounter Aunt Peggy, the conjure woman with benevolent supernatural powers, and various other characters like Mabel, who learns valuable lessons through these tales. Additionally, stories of enslaved individuals like Becky and Sandy highlight the harsh realities of slavery and the use of magical realism to navigate such experiences. Overall, the interplay of these characters and their stories illustrates the rich tapestry of folklore and the moral lessons embedded within.
The Conjure Woman: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Charles Waddell Chesnutt
First published: 1899
Genre: Short fiction
Locale: North Carolina
Plot: Regional
Time: Post-Civil War
The narrator, a grape farmer from Ohio who settles in North Carolina because of his wife's ill health, buying a dilapidated plantation which has an old vineyard. He hires Uncle Julius and is regaled by the old man with stories of witchcraft. The narrator learns by experience that the stories are usually told for a purpose, most often to the benefit of the old servant.
Annie, the narrator's wife, whose ill health causes her husband's removal from Ohio to North Carolina.
Uncle Julius, an elderly black man who tries to prevent the narrator from buying the plantation because he has been selling the grapes from the untended vineyard. He becomes the narrator's coachman and loyal employee, but he often tells stories of witchcraft to prevent his employers from taking some action detrimental to his own well-being.
Aunt Peggy, the black “conjure woman” of Uncle Julius' stories. Her generally beneficent supernatural powers are used to place “goophers,” or spells, on people, places, or things.
Mabel, the narrator's sister-in-law, who is persuaded by one of Uncle Julius' stories to cease being jealous of a rival and to marry her fiancé.
Becky, a slave in one of Uncle Julius' stories. She is helped by the powers of the conjure woman when her infant is traded by her owner for a horse.
Sandy, a slave in one of Uncle Julius' stories who is turned into a tree by the conjure woman. She turns him into a tree so that their owner cannot take Sandy, whom she loves, away from her.