The Twelve Tribes of Hattie

Both Hattie and August left the South to live in Philadelphia during a time when significant numbers of African Americans were moving to northern urban areas. The Great Migration, which occurred between 1916 and 1970, was largely inspired by the promise of better economic opportunities and more racial equality in the North. Discuss Hattie’s experiences in the North with respect to this promise, as well as August’s. How do gender and personal history shape their individual appraisals of the North as a “promised land”?

Hattie accuses August of numerous failings, including his inability to earn a respectable income, his penchant for “juke joints” and easy women, and his self-indulgent spending habits. Consider August’s point of view, articulated in Chapter 4 and elsewhere. He blames his shortcomings on Hattie’s relentless anger toward him and on systemic challenges to black economic advancement. Which aspects of his argument are convincing and why? Overall, is Hattie’s anger toward August justified? Why or why not?

As a young girl, Cassie demonstrates talent as a pianist. She takes a few lessons, but then Hattie puts a stop to it, insisting that “it wasn’t practical for a Negro girl to fill her head with music” (88). August objects, arguing that they left the South to “have a better life. At the very least, a better life ought to mean a child could have something that didn’t have any purpose except to make her smile” (88). Considering Cassie’s gender, race, class, and the fact that she was born in the 1920s, which argument is more compelling in terms of Cassie’s welfare and happiness, and why?

With respect to Hattie, Bell thinks, “Maybe Mother didn’t know that she was supposed to love us” (212), and Cassie says, “[S]he never loved anybody” (224). Hattie does not show her children much affection, although she loves them deeply. Did Hattie ultimately fail her children in “vital ways” (236) or, inasmuch as she devoted herself to their survival, was she a good mother within the context of her circumstances? Why does she withhold her affection? Which of her actions appear cold or harsh but are actually motivated by her profound devotion to her children?

Which one of Hattie’s nine surviving children seems to best realize—or is on the path to realizing—the promise of “a better life” in the North? What obstacles has he or she overcome and how?

Focusing on the characters of Six, Hattie, and August, and their different perspectives on religion and God, what does the novel suggest about the value and purpose of organized Christian religion? Why does Hattie conclude in Chapter 10 that “she was a fraud in Christ and had shown Sala the ways of fraudulence” (242)? Is Hattie’s the final word on religion, or does the novel allow for the possibility of faith that is sincere and enriching?

Willie, the juju healer, appears just a few times in the novel and only plays a significant role in Bell’s story. Whereas Hattie considers Six an imposter in his practice of preaching and healing, she has faith in Willie’s powers, declaring, “I knew a juju woman in Georgia. She could make a blind man see” (215). Examine how the novel imagines matriarchal spirituality as a foil for patriarchal Christianity. How does Willie’s practice of healing differ from Six’s? Consider, in particular, Willie’s connection to nature and its significance.

Hattie is a strong black mother who sacrifices a great deal for her children. As such, she fits the profile to which black motherhood has repeatedly been reduced. In what ways does Hattie’s character challenge this profile or stereotype? What are her weaknesses? How does her pride impact her relationships? In what ways might her overpowering strength actually be a weakness?