Midnight Without a Moon

Rose and Papa sit together in silence on their porch, watching threatening clouds course across the sky. Amid the fear, anger, and hopelessness she feels in the wake of learning about the Chicago teen’s murder, Rose simmers with resentment and a sense of abandonment. Without saying goodbye, Aunt Belle departed for Chicago. Uncle Ollie pulls up to the house to take Papa and Rose to see her Aunt Ruthie. Aunt Ruthie, who shares Rose’s dark complexion, is married to a man named Slow John, a rarely employed man with alcohol use disorder. They live in an abandoned dwelling in such disrepair that they pay no rent to occupy it. Ruthie and Slow John once lived with Papa and Ma Pearl, but Slow John was dismissed for stealing money from the Robinsons. Despite her impoverished and abusive circumstances, Ruthie maintains her own appearance and that of her home with tireless diligence, and Rose considers her one of the most beautiful women she has ever seen. Papa brings his daughter groceries, as he does every month, observing, “Bible say a man who won’t take care o’ his own is worse than a infidel. Lord Jesus, help that man do better by his family” (182). Rose promises herself that one day she will buy a house for Aunt Ruthie, just as she plans to do for Papa. Ruthie acknowledges that Rose must miss her mother, and Rose realizes how fortunate Ruthie’s children are, despite their lack of resources, in their knowledge that their mother loves them. When Aunt Ruthie learns that Rose isn’t going back to school, she asks her father, “You go’n take Rose outta school, as smart as she is?” (184), but Papa doesn’t answer.

In church, Rose finds herself thinking about the 70-pound cotton gin fan tethered around the neck of the young man from Chicago, who she has learned was named Emmett Till. Rose considers that it could have been Fred Lee or Hallelujah in his place. Unlike the funeral service for Levi Jackson in July, neither the worship leaders nor the parishioners avoid addressing the tragedy. The voice of Miss Doll soars above the choir, transforming the traditional spiritual into a hymn of grief, “Can’t you hear him callin’ his mother? Surely, oh surely, he died in Mississippi” (187). Rose sobs into a handkerchief: “I realized I was crying not for Levi Jackson nor for Emmett Till, but for myself, Rose Lee Carter. Because I was a Negro. A person of color. A person who could be killed simply because my skin had a color. And that colored happened to be a dark shade of brown” (189). Reverend Jenkins compares the arrest and execution of Jesus to the kidnapping and murder of Emmett Till, drawing upon the insistence by some that Jesus did not rise from the dead, but instead his body was secreted away by his disciples. Reverend Jenkins declares that these lies were told by the Romans so that they would not have to account for their error in killing an innocent man. Reverend Jenkins then reads from a Memphis newspaper that reports that the county sheriff, H. C. Strider, is claiming that the body found in the water is not Emmett’s. Reverend Jenkins attests that though they tried to lie, like the Romans did, those in power will not be able to avoid the incontrovertible truth.

That afternoon, Ma Pearl reminds Rose that their church will be hosting another revival, a week-long series of services designed to encourage congregants not yet baptized to receive the spirit and accept the designation of becoming saved. Rose wonders what might happen if she never receives the spirit. Ma Pearl is deliberate in her implication that it is past time for all of her grandchildren to become candidates for baptism. Aunt Clara Jean and Queen enter the kitchen, and Aunt Clara Jean directs her daughter to go to her bedroom and lay down. When Queen is gone, Aunt Clara Jean asks her mother if she thinks Queen is pregnant. Ma Pearl denies this could be possible, claiming that she makes certain her granddaughters don’t go anywhere she hasn’t approved. Aunt Clara Jean reminds her mother that she and Anna were also not allowed to go anywhere, yet they both became pregnant as teenagers. Ma Pearl changes the subject, humiliating Rose with a recount of her discovery of Rose dancing in her undergarments in front of the mirror.

Rose saw her father only once when he came to visit newborn Fred Lee, but she, then a toddler, can’t recall his face. Anna barred him from entering the house and sent him away. Rose worries that Queen will end up like her mother, Aunt Clara Jean, who has never revealed the identity of Queen’s father; Rose’s mother, Anna, who traded away her fatherless children for a life of greater ease; or Aunt Ruthie, who was prevented from going to Saint Louis like Aunt Belle and instead married Slow John. Rose refuses to allow her fate to be dictated by her attachment to a man and decides that when her Aunt Belle returns from Saint Louis, she will do everything in her power to persuade her aunt to take her back with her. Beginning that Monday night, Ma Pearl makes Rose, Fred Lee, and Queen sit on the front pew at the revival, known as the mourners’ bench. During the day, Rose picks cotton while her brother and cousin attend school. Queen begins vomiting every morning and showing signs of exhaustion, but Ma Pearl refuses to acknowledge that her granddaughter’s symptoms are indicative of pregnancy.

Rose is one of few mourners remaining on the bench on Friday night. Queen claimed to have received her sign during Tuesday night’s service, but Rose suspects her cousin simply told the congregation what they wanted to hear, especially when Queen is evasive about what her sign entailed. Rose is devout, a believer in the tenants of her Baptist faith, but she feels that her relationship with God should not be dictated by the congregation’s expectations. Rose was under the impression that she and her brother were equally unimpressed by the pomp and pressure involved in the revival proceedings, but when Reverend Mims, a respected elder, begins to preach on the death of Emmett Till, her brother rises in acknowledgement that he has received his sign.

At the end of a long day of picking, Rose drags her overstuffed, burdensome cotton sack home, finding Hallelujah waiting on the porch. He has with him the newest issue of Jet. When Rose sees the photo of Emmett Till on the magazine’s third page, she comments on how closely Hallelujah and Emmett resemble one another. Rose is reminded of Miss Addie’s premonition when Hallelujah entered her cabin on the day before Emmett entered Bryant’s store. Rose is surprised to learn that Roy Bryant, the husband of the woman at whom Emmett allegedly whistled, and J.W. Milam have been charged with Emmett’s murder. Hallelujah commends the bravery of Mose Wright, who refused to leave his home despite the sheriff’s urging that he and his family should flee for safety. Rose wonders why he let those men take his great nephew. Hallelujah reminds her that the men claimed they only wanted to talk to Emmett. They read a quote in the article from Dr. T.R.M. Howard, who said, “If this slaughtering of Negroes is allowed to continue […] Mississippi will have a civil war. Negroes are only going to take so much” (223). Hallelujah agrees, determined to participate in the struggle that is coming. Rose asks Hallelujah if he has ever been to Bryant’s store. Hallelujah says he has and that he has seen Mrs. Bryant, who he admits is pretty. Rose asks if he would have whistled at her like Emmett did, and Hallelujah dismisses the action as “crazy” (226).

The Carters are in the parlor when a knock at the door causes them to freeze in fear. Papa gathers his shotgun, and they are shocked to find Ruthie and her children, who have walked seven miles, standing on their porch. Ruthie’s head is covered by a bandage soaked in blood, and she reveals that Slow John beat her. Ma Pearl chastises her daughter for tolerating her violent, inept husband. Papa orders Ma Pearl to be quiet, but Ma Pearl reminds him that she has come to them for help before and each time has returned to Slow John. Ruthie promises she is truly leaving her husband this time. Queen surprises Rose with the kindness she shows to Ruthie’s children. Rose is about to go to sleep when another pounding sounds. Slow John demands that Papa open the door, claiming that he cannot deny him the right to see his wife. Papa threatens to shoot Slow John, but Slow John, still drunk, is not deterred and begins trying to kick the door down, calling out apologies to Ruthie inside. Ruthie opens the door and tries to persuade him to let them stay, just for the night, but when Slow John claims he needs to go to work in the morning, she relents, gathering up the children and leaving with him.

Rose eavesdrops while Monty, Aunt Belle, and Reverend Jenkins sit in the parlor recounting the day’s proceedings in the trial of Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam. Mose Wright testified, identifying Bryant and Milam as the men who kidnapped his great nephew. Though Mose’s testimony is considered a triumphant act of bravery, Monty is frustrated by the atmosphere in the courtroom. Ma Pearl says, “I don’t like all this crazy talk up in my house” (238), suggesting that there were no issues of racial tension before the NAACP became involved. Aunt Belle reminds her mother that it was Black people doing the bidding of whites who helped Bryant and Milam murder Emmett. When Ma Pearl repeats her assertion that Emmett is dead because his mother didn’t teach him to respect white people, Reverend Jenkins loses his temper. He tells her that her generation’s servile, submissive relationship with whites is no longer something that new generations of Black people will tolerate and that respect should be instilled in children based on shared humanity, not a color-based hierarchy. Ma Pearl asks if Reverend Jenkins is prepared to help her find a place to live and a way for her to provide for her family if she is dispossessed of her situation. Ma Pearl believes that while the Black community is celebrating Mose’s courage, he is probably hiding in terror, hoping that he will not meet the same fate as his great nephew in retaliation for his testimony.

During the evening prayer meeting, Reverend Jenkins calls “today a great day for the Negro in Mississippi […] a historic victory” (244). Mamie Till, Emmett’s mother, took the stand to confirm that the body recovered from the Tallahatchie was that of her son. The defense claims that the body was not Emmett’s but one planted by the NAACP. Two additional witnesses also testified that they had seen one or both of the defendants at the barn on the night Emmett was murdered and heard the young man’s screams. Rose feels uplifted by the empowering energy exuded by the congregation and hopeful for a conviction. She joins Hallelujah outside, sitting on the hood of his father’s car, gazing at the stars. Hallelujah confesses that he is not optimistic. He believes that all evidence and testimony given will ultimately prove irrelevant; he knows an all-male white jury will never convict their peers of the murder of a Black person. Hallelujah thinks his father feels the same way and that his sermon is “not stirring them up over what he things might happen tomorrow. He’s trying to get them ready for the future” (252). Rose wonders aloud why adults with the means and autonomy do not leave Mississippi as soon as they are able to. Hallelujah says his father believes that leaving would change nothing, that abandoning the place they call home instead of fighting to change it does not hold the same reward as succeeding in a place where success is hard-won. Rose likens it to stars needing the darkness to shine their brightest.

Aunt Belle sobs over the acquittal of Bryant and Milam. She and Monty are disgusted by their cocky, celebratory behavior. They believe that the jury’s short deliberation proves the entire trial was a pretense. Ma Pearl appears, repeating her refrain that the NAACP and “uppity” northern attitudes are the reason Emmett was killed. Aunt Belle blames those like Ma Pearl and her worshipful deference toward whites. Ma Pearl punches Aunt Belle, knocking her to the floor. When Papa appears, Rose speaks up, saying, “Ma Pearl started it” (263). Ma Pearl charges at Rose, but Monty intervenes, saying, “If you even think about putting your hands on that child, woman, I will deal with you myself” (263-64). Papa sends Ma Pearl out. Monty says the trial is the perfect example of why registering to vote is so crucial for the Black community: Only those registered are eligible to serve on juries. Papa doubts that Black people will ever make it to the jury box. Rose expresses her intention to register when she is of age. When Monty praises her, Rose feels a deep sense of familial affection and pride. Rose asks her grandfather why he won’t move out of Mississippi. He explains that he loves cultivating crops, caring for his barnyard full of animals, and living amidst the beauty of the countryside. There is no anger when he answers Monty’s question about working for the Robinsons: Papa says they are not like those white people who instill terror in the Black community. Further, Papa isn’t motivated by the prospect of increasing his wealth or acquiring convenient amenities. He is content, but he knew from the time she was a child that Aunt Belle belonged elsewhere. Rose asks what Papa has known about her since childhood. Aunt Belle answers instead. It was she who named Rose Rosa. Despite Ma Pearl’s insistence that Rosa isn’t a name, it remains on Rose’s birth certificate. Monty again asks Papa why Rose isn’t in school. Papa says she will return after the harvest and that it is because she is so smart that she can miss a few weeks. Monty invites Rose to live in Saint Louis. Rose hesitates, assessing Papa’s feelings, but though he doesn’t want her to leave, he says, “I won’t hold you back. […] Not no mo’” (276).

Though she is very familiar with the Bible passage her grandfather reads aloud during Sunday service, hearing it in his voice helps her to understand him in a way she might not have before their Friday night conversation: “‘In my Father’s house are many mansions…’ Papa always said he never needed a mansion on earth because he had one waiting for him in heaven” (278). Rose realizes that if anyone on earth is worthy of entry into heaven, it is her grandfather. Rose rises to her feet, only slightly conscious of what is driving her forward, and when Reverend Jenkins greets her, she asks to be baptized. She whispers to the reverend that she did not get a sign, but he ignores this and turns to his parishioners, asking for their support of her application. Papa speaks up in endorsement, followed by another deacon and a chorus of “aye” from the assembled worshipers. No one objects when the opportunity is offered. Not even Ma Pearl’s pat on her knee can dampen Rose’s joy in her moment of transformation. She is reminded of another portion of Papa’s scripture reading, wherein Jesus promised his disciples that he would go to prepare a place for them in heaven, and she thinks, “I couldn’t help but think of Aunt Belle and Monty, who were on their way to Saint Louis—to prepare a place for me” (282).

Rose is awakened by Ma Pearl in their bedroom, shouting at Queen. Ma Pearl watched her sneak in a few minutes earlier. Rose hears the sound of Ma Pearl’s “black strap of terror” (283). Queen pleads for help from Rose, who is too stunned to move as their grandmother rises and swings the strap again and again, striking her granddaughter and dismissing Queen’s apologies. Ma Pearl reminds both girls how many times she told them she didn’t want to raise any more children. Papa rushes in, in disbelief when Ma Pearl tells him their granddaughter is “in trouble.” Wounded, bawling, and cowering, at first Queen will not answer when Ma Pearl tells her to tell her grandfather who the baby’s father is. Ma Pearl also saw Queen getting thrown roughly out of a pickup truck “like a piece a trash” (286). She declares Queen a “[d]irn fool like her mama. White man ain’t go’n never own up to no colored baby” (286). Their grandparents go back to bed, and Rose helps Queen, gently washing her wounded back with a damp towel. Queen is in a state of despair, but Rose reminds her that both of their mothers still found men to marry them. Queen says “he” lied to her when he told her that he loved her, and Rose is shocked to learn that “he” is not Ricky Turner but Jimmy Robinson. Rose realizes that if the Robinsons discover the connection between their son and their employees’ granddaughter, it could cost the Carters the home and jobs they rely upon to sustain their family. Rose is enraged, asking how Queen could possibly put their grandparents in such a position. Queen blames them for limiting her social interactions and misses Rose’s point when Rose insists that Jimmy Robinson is the worst boyfriend she could have chosen. Queen is fixated on the notion that she is equal to any of the young white women in his social circles and begins to convince herself aloud that Jimmy does indeed love her and Ma Pearl is wrong about him.