“Roselily” Alice Walker

1) Describe the story’s point of view. How does the point of view affect your understanding of Roselily’s character and her circumstances?

Because the story is narrated in third person, we get to experience the emotions and thoughts going through Roselily’s mind while standing in front of the altar. Even though we get to hear what she is thinking the story is still very fragmented because we don’t get to read how, when and where certain events happened. This ambiguity makes the seemingly ordinary wedding, interesting; as we try to fill in the blanks with our own perceptions.

2) How does the first paragraph announce the nature of the story’s conflict?

The first paragraph gives us an introduction to the overall theme of the story, which is being lost. Roselily throughout the story tries to retrace her steps to figure how she came to marry this man. She remembers the main events in her life, her men, her work, her children, but she fails to recognize why she never felt grounded or safe. While she is standing in front of the altar she realizes all the things she regrets; being promiscuous, having children, not being knowledgeable and being impatient and impulsive. While the wedding vows are being read to her, we feel that if she weren’t so desperate to get away from her life in Mississippi, she would call out, when the preacher said “If there’s anyone here who knows a reason why these two should not be joined together, let him speak or forever hold his peace.” But because she regrets so many things in her life and she feels so very lost she holds her peace and marries the groom.

3) What do you think Roselily’s reflections about her fourth child reveal about her character?

Roselily regrets having children, but her giving away of her son to his father is not because she doesn’t want to deal with him. Her motive is more maternal because she wants her son to have a better life, even if it means parting from him which is dreadfully hard for any mother to do. This shows that Roselily even though she might be immature in how she lives her life, does have maturity when it comes to the decision she takes for her children.

4)Describe the groom. What kind of man is he? What sort of life is Roselily likely to have with him?

Roselily’s husband seems like an honest and hard working man, who feels alienated by his choice of religion. Roselily will have a stable and very mundane marriage with him, it will be the life she always yearned for but never will really want.

5) Write a paragraph in Walker’s style written from the point of view of the groom. You may place it in the story wherever it best fits and serves to reveal something essential about his character.

He turns his head towards her and looks her in the eye, for a fleeting moment he sees something worrisome in her eyes. He looks back down to his feet, trying to rid himself from the thoughts that have crossed his mind ever since they were together. But like flies they buzz around him with relentless zeal trying to infiltrate his mind and cause suspicion. He had been warned by many people about marrying Roselily, they never told him personally why, but from what he had heard being said around town it needn’t be mentioned again. He didn’t let the town’s talk get to him, after all he couldn’t be well thought of either being a Muslim. But remembering these things stirred suspicion again and this time the flies wouldn’t be swatted away. What if the things they said are true? Is she only marrying me to get away from here? Does she really love me? He looked up again and into her eyes, trying to find the answers to the questions that were festering within him. But he couldn’t find them, not within her eyes nor within himself. “If there’s anyone here who knows a reason why these two should not be joined together, let him speak or forever hold his peace” the voice of the priest echoes in his ear. At this moment he wished someone would stand up and state their reasons, but no one did. He looks back up and sees Roselily smiling, he cannot help but smile as well; he realizes that this is why he wants to be with her. He returns his attention to the priest, like a child he eagerly awaits for the priest to finish his speech so he can passionately kiss his wife Roselily.