Shakespeare and Mama Day

            As I mentioned in class, I really do not perceive much in the way of direct connections between The Tempest and Mama Day. The correlation between the works resembles mostly magic and being trapped on an island. The other perceived connections between characters and plot lines maintain no justification and oftentimes are stretched correlations.

            I find that reading Mama Day as a loosely adopted interpretation of The Tempest does however allow the reader to focus on the parallels and emphasizes their importance in the recreation. At first, the island Mama Day lives on remains linked to the mainland through the bridge—a disparity from Shakespeare—however, when the storm finally sweeps through Willow Springs, the island becomes isolated. This post-storm isolation reiterates the disassociation from reality those on the island must live through. George especially loses touch with logic, sensibility, and his true character while living on the island. The similarities between the storms and islands and their integration to the plot as well as their symbolism play dynamic roles in the readings of both texts, and the parallels help us acknowledge that exact importance in Mama Day.

            Finally, magic and conjuration (both good and nefarious forms) continuously acts in both Shakespeare and Naynor. While Ariel is presented as a very powerful (though not all powerful) entity, Mama Day becomes depicted, to the islanders, as an almost divine prophet. However, in actuality, Miranda’s powers are very limited and she never explicitly conjures magic. The use of magic in both works brings the readers attention to Mama Day’s abilities and how magic affects the island.