The People Could Fly by Virginia Hamilton
"The People Could Fly" by Virginia Hamilton is a collection of twenty-four retold folktales that draw from the rich oral traditions of African American culture. These stories encompass various genres, including animal tales, supernatural tales, and narratives of freedom, reflecting themes of resilience and triumph among the oppressed. The tales are presented in an accessible dialect and are beautifully illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon, enhancing their appeal to readers of all ages.
The collection features a range of stories, from well-known animal trickster tales reminiscent of "Uncle Remus" to supernatural narratives that impart moral lessons through ghostly encounters. A significant portion of the book focuses on slave tales that resonate with messages of hope and the desire for freedom, showcasing the enduring spirit of enslaved people.
Hamilton's work serves not only as entertainment but also as an insightful exploration of the African American experience, highlighting the cleverness and humor that emerged in the face of adversity. "The People Could Fly" offers a valuable glimpse into the cultural heritage and collective resilience of a community, making it an important resource for understanding the historical and emotional context of these folktales.
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The People Could Fly by Virginia Hamilton
First published: 1985; illustrated
Subjects: Animals, race and ethnicity, and the supernatural
Type of work: Short fiction
Recommended Ages: 10-13
Form and Content
In The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales, Virginia Hamilton, a descendent of early African Americans, recounts twenty-four stories from the rich oral history of the black culture in the United States. Written in a readable, mild dialect, the tales capture the spirit of the slave culture that spawned them and are effectively illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon, Caldecott Medal winners for two of their earlier works involving African tales. The reader is led through four genera of black folktales: animal tales; tales of the real, extravagant, and fanciful; tales of the supernatural; and slave tales of freedom.
The folktales retold by Hamilton originated not only in Africa and North America but in Europe and South America as well. Many of the tales involve the theme of the weak and oppressed triumphing over the strong and powerful. In such a way did the slaves often weave allegories of their own existence with their hope of victory over the powerful and rich landowners who were their masters. This approach is especially evidenced in the animal tales wherein the hero is often the rabbit, a trickster by trade.
In the “Animal Tales” section, the reader is reintroduced to a number of stories commonly associated with the Uncle Remus tales of Joel Chandler Harris. In her retelling, Hamilton avoids much of the thick dialect found in some other stories about “Bruh Bear and Bruh Rabbit,” the Tar Baby, and other well-known characters that many readers first met in the stories collected by Harris. Following each tale, Hamilton provides a brief discussion of the origin and variations of the tale. For example, the Tar Baby tale is said to exist in about three hundred versions from such diverse locations as Africa, India, the Bahamas, Brazil, and the southeastern United States.
In the section entitled “. . . And Other Tales of the Real, Extravagant, and Fanciful,” the reader is led through a number of tales of the impossible varying from “The Beautiful Girl of the Moon Tower,” wherein the hero Anton receives the ability to change himself into a number of different animals, to “Wiley, His Mama, and the Hairy Man,” a story about an ogre who must be overcome by the quick-wittedness of a small boy.
“. . . And Other Tales of the Supernatural” takes the reader through the frightening world of ghosts and devils, with many stories offering a moral. These tales are often calculated to scare youngsters and thereby promote behaviors that adults consider proper. A number of these stories have long since transcended ethnic barriers and are found in various permutations in cultures throughout the world.
The final section of the collection is “. . . And Other Slave Tales of Freedom.” In this section, Hamilton provides six selections, including “The People Could Fly.” The selections are unified in their origin, all being American slave tales, although the title story and several other tales reveal elements of African folklore in their themes. All these tales involve the escape of enslaved people from their masters. One of the stories is a true account, while the others are more fanciful, but each of the tales carries a message of hope from the people who told it.
Critical Context
Virginia Hamilton has gained renown for a number of her works, notably for M. C. Higgins, the Great (1974), which won the Newbery Medal, the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award, and the National Book Award. Her books The Planet of Junior Brown (1971) and Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush (1982) were also awarded Newbery Medals. In addition, she was given the Edgar Allan Poe Award for the best juvenile mystery for The House of Dies Drear (1968).
In The People Could Fly, Hamilton drew on her considerable talent and her African American heritage in order to pull together these tales of black American folklore and to create a coherent glimpse into the culture that generated them. The People Could Fly could be used to give young readers a portrait of the early years of the evolving black culture in the United States. It can provide insight into the minds of an oppressed population and how the members of that population cope with adversity. Hamilton has chosen tales that highlight humor and cleverness. The tales should enchant and entertain readers and listeners of many ages. Some of the stories will be familiar to most readers, while others will not. All can be taken at two levels: as entertainment and as a way to look into the hearts and souls of slaves.