"Needy" Regina

Regina's family background has molded her needs in an intimate relationship in a way that she has became used to being needed by someone. She is the eldest of fourteen children so she was used to her brothers and her father always needing her to do something for them. As for Easy, he has never really asked Regina to do anything for him until he asks her to find information on a potential suspect. She wants Easy to need her like her family did when she was growing up. With this absent, she continues to feel that Easy does not love her and lets this affect her relationship him.

Who is Easy Rawlins?

           In the city of Los Angeles, a man named Ezekiel Rawlins is called to work alongside the LAPD in order to track down the murderer of four women. In the book White Butterfly by Walter Mosley, Easy is an average citizen living in a predominantly black neighborhood called Watts during the year 1956. He is chosen to help solve this mystery because he knows his way around South Central Los Angeles and the people who reside there. Throughout his journey, Easy reveals more about his character as he gets closer to finding the suspect.

           At first, Easy denies his call to action when a black officer named Quinten Naylor asks for his help to solve the murder of three black women. Easy does not want to get involved in another case but he knows that he is the only person that cares enough to help Officer Naylor because of his knowledge of the streets. Because Easy values his African American culture, finding justice for the women who were murdered and for his community is important to him. If he does not help Quinten, the case will not be solved because of the prejudice and racism that is present during this era. Since he is the hero of the story, it is his job to restore wholeness and right wrongs for the people of his community.

           After getting involved with the case, Easy finds himself struggling in his relationship with his wife Regina. The couple has been married for about two years and have two children. Because of Easy’s work, he has many secrets and tends to keep things to himself. Regina notices this and it leads her to want Easy to be open and honest with her because she was used to being depended on by her thirteen brothers and her father. Although Easy tells her he loves her, he does not fully grasp that there is something lacking in their relationship. He is blinded by his perspective of what a man should be and what a woman wants. Easy believes that no man should be emotional or vulnerable because a woman does not want to put up with a man who cannot handle his own feelings. He thinks he has to be the strong figure in the relationship by providing Regina and their children with whatever they need. Since he does not verbalize his thoughts, Easy does not understand that Regina wants more than the materialistic things. He thinks that if he provides Regina with the money she needs or with anything she asks for, she will love him for that. Easy ends up losing Regina because he did not change his mindset.

           As Easy continues on his investigation, he meets with many people who not only help him with the information, but reveal more about himself through these meetings. One thing Easy shows when speaking to a man named Roger Vaughn is that he believes in second chances. This is shown when Roger speaks about his wife leaving him with another man and Easy tries to convince Roger to give his wife another chance. Easy believes that Roger can fix things with his wife if he talks to her. But Easy is too compassionate to understand the issues between Roger and his wife are more complicated than he thinks. His compassion is also shown when he speaks to Mrs. Garnett, the mother of the last victim. Easy visits Mrs. Garnett to give her information about her daughter that he knows she is unaware of. The grieving mother is emotional after finding out that her daughter was a stripper. A different side of Easy is shown because he shows concern for her and even checks in on her when she steps out of the room.

           Altogether, Easy continues to develop as a character as he gets closer to solving the mystery. Even though he does not realize it, each individual Easy meets or knows throughout the story aids in him in his self-discovery. Although he finds himself in the situations he is in, he will only see himself progress in the case and in his relationship once he changes.

Three Stories in Mojo

"Rosamojo"

1. The title of this selection is "Rosamojo" by Kiini Ibura Salaam. This story is about a girl named Rosamojo who is sexually abused by her father. In order to protect herself, she uses a protection prayer that ends up killing her father. The setting of this story is contemporary. There is no exact location where the story takes place other than Rosamojo's home and the funeral home.

2. The specific point of view of the story is first person single narrator.

3. The protagonist in the story is Rosamojo and she is also the narrator. The antagonist in the story is her father.

4. The main conflict that Rosamojo is struggling with is protecting herself from her father. This type of conflict is person v.s. person. The source of this conflict is Rosamojo's father molesting her.

5. Rosamojo is the conjure woman in this story. Some conjure woman traits that Rosamojo has are that she uses a spell to protect her. She is independent, self-sufficient, and self-sustaining.

7. Two values that are important to Rosamojo are her own safety and her mother's opinion. Valuing her own safety aids Rosamojo's struggle with her father. If she did not value this, she would continue to let her father molest her. Valuing her mother's opinion causes some hardship for Rosamojo because this stops her from speaking out about her conflict. Since her mother's opinion is important,  she conceals the truth about the sexual abuse from her mother.

10. I think the theme of this story would be if one is being harmed by someone or something, they should do something about it to stop it. The genre of this story is conjure/magic tale and it is also a growing up story. From this story, I learned that it is important to stand up for myself. I should not let anyone control me or to take advantage of me. Rosamojo is a strong individual and I see her as a role model for other girls.

"Asuquo"

1. The title of this story is "Asuquo, or The Winds of Harmattan" by Nnedima Okorafor. This story is about a woman named Asuquo who stuggles with being herself in her village because she is not accepted by the people in her village. The setting of this story is in the African Coast during slave trade.

2. The point of view is third person, omniscient.

3. The protagonist in this story is Asuquo. The antogonist of the story is the village.

4. The main conflict that Asuquo is struggling with is being who she really is in her village. The type of conflict this is person v.s. society. The reason for her struggle is that she is a conjure woman and the people in her village do not accept her powers.

5. The root woman in this story is Asuquo. Some conjure woman traits that she has are that she is a female. She does have powers that make her a powerful figure in the community.

7.  Two values that are important to Asuquo are love and her family. From valuing her family, this causes hardship because they contributed to her death. She continuously wants to please them, but in the end they turn on her.

10. The theme of this story is that should not try to conceal who they truly are. The genre of this story is a conjure/magic tale. From this story I learned to not hide who I am as an individual because I will not succeed and accomplish things I want.

"Trial Day"

1. The title of this story is "Trial Day" by Tananarive Due. This story is about a girl named Letitia who struggles with making her father realize that Brother needs help on trial day. The setting of this story is contemporary time in a town called Oak City.

2. The point of view is third person, central character.

3. The protagonist is Letitia. The antagonist is Bernadette.

4. The main conflict that Letitia is struggling with convincing her father to go help her brother on his trial day. This type of conflict is person v.s. person. The source of this conflict is the spell her stepmother put on Daddy, which is stopping him from helping Brother.

5. The root women in the story are Letitia and Letitia's mother. Some traits they both have are that they both perform spells and rituals. Letitia is a conjure woman in training so she is learning from her mother. Letitia ends up sacrificing her cat to help her Brother.

7. Two values that are important to Letitia are her brother and justice. These values aid her conflict because if she did not value her brother, she not want him to help him on trial day. She also values justice because her brother had a higher chance of being killed over the robbery since he is black.

10. I think the theme of this story is not giving on something that is important. This story is a conjure/magic tale and a growing up tale. I learned to not let anything stop me from accomplishing something that is important. Letitia learned to solve the issue on her own and I find this admirable.