Mrs. Wiggins

“‘It’s a heavy burden, but a woman’s purpose is to find a good man and raise a family. That’s what God made us for.’ She’d told me that more than once. And I believed her, even though she didn’t seem too happy being married to Daddy.”

Maggie’s wry, reflective voice drives the novel, which is told from her first-person point of view. This allows the author to show the frequent divergence between Maggie’s thoughts and her words or actions. Here, she appears to agree with her mother’s pronouncement about marriage but also notices the irony that her mother has not married a “good” man. This passage illustrates the power that appearances of convention or respectability have over individual characters, despite how that relates to their happiness.

“Other than selling homemade alcohol, being an undertaker was the best job for a colored man. Drinking and dying was two things that was always going to be profitable.”

In addition to capturing Maggie’s matter-of-fact attitude, this passage also captures the ironic stance that the novel takes on the limited opportunities and discrimination Black Americans faced in the South during the segregated Jim Crow era. Maggie, seeing no way to change things, accepts how things are, but her very acceptance and trying to make do with her circumstances provides an ironic comment on the deeply entrenched racism that structures her world.

“Yeah, I’ll marry you. Why not? I’m sure we’ll be happy together for the rest of our lives.”

Hubert’s marriage proposal, and Maggie’s causal acceptance, add humor and irony to the novel as their arrangement is not in line with the conventional romantic ideal. Maggie’s response carries a further dramatic irony in that her prediction does not turn out to be true.

“I didn’t ask for no more information and I never planned to. I figured that the less I knew about that part of his life, the better off I’d be. Especially after all he’d already done for me so that I’d have a good life. I was happier than I’d ever been.”

While in other aspects the secret of Maggie and Hubert’s relationship provides occasional humor or conflict in contrast to appearances, when it comes to Hubert’s romantic relationships, Maggie is content for Hubert to be private about this part of his life. Communication about these details is not necessary for their intimacy or her happiness.

“I suddenly felt like a lamb being led to slaughter. In a way I was. But so was the man we was planning to use for our own selfish purpose. I felt better when I reminded myself that at the end of the day, everybody involved would get what they wanted.”

Maggie’s language is not generally full of metaphor, so this analogy carries weight, especially as it highlights her vulnerability about having sex with a stranger so she might get pregnant. That she acknowledges the exploitation of her male partner indicates that Maggie does have a moral compass but rationalizes reasons to act in her self-interest.

“Nobody knew better than me that all kinds of things went on behind closed doors.”

When she wonders why Randolph’s wife left him, Maggie reminds herself of this truth, which could be a tagline that sums up the novel. The pressure of keeping a secret, and the violence that can happen within intimate relationships, are both prevalent themes in the novel. In this quote, the author shows the continued role The Value of Appearances and Reputation and The Dynamics of Intimacy, Abuse, and Secrets have in the narrative.

“I was beginning to feel bad about using this nice man. He was also getting kind of forward about us taking our relationship to the next level.”

This passage captures Maggie’s level of self-reflection and her characteristic way of articulating her experience. Her fabricated identity introduces tension into her relationship with Randolph, which is a glimpse into an alternative life for Maggie. Her performance as Louise foreshadows the way Maggie will need to conceal her actions when she turns to murder.

“This tragedy made me appreciate life and the loved ones I had left even more. I took life one day at a time and didn’t take nothing for granted.”

Maggie’s youthful resilience in the face of tragedy foreshadows the resourcefulness and determination she will show later when faced with daunting obstacles. This time of appreciating life when Claude is young provides a backdrop and counterpoint to the troubles that will descend later.

“With or without a wife, I will always be the most important female in my baby boy’s life.”

Maggie makes this declaration when Claude is young, and her insistence on being Claude’s primary affective relationship holds into adulthood. This need also becomes a primary motivation for how she decides to deal with Daisy.

“I was going to let him enjoy his young years. But I planned to keep a hawk’s eye on him to make sure he didn’t do nothing stupid.”

This passage sets up Maggie’s vigilance of Claude and her investment in him having a happy life, which she feels responsible for providing. The motivation to ensure his happiness and safety will drive much of her conflict around his later involvement with Daisy.

“With all of the many blessings I already had, I thought my life was as good as it was ever going to be. I was wrong. Mrs. Dowler changed me in ways I never could have imagined.”

Mrs. Dowler plays the role of benefactor and mentor to Maggie. Her life experience, wealth, attitude, and personality all provide inspiration and models that Maggie admires and wants to emulate. This period of contentment, optimism, and security marks a high point in Maggie’s character arc in the novel, making the conflict with Daisy a greater contrast.

“It was a mystery to me how she could be the way she was when so many other white folks was doing all they could to make life miserable for colored folks.”

Mrs. Dowler is an unusual character in Maggie’s world, not least because she is a white woman who doesn’t exhibit racist attitudes or behavior. This gesture toward the ubiquitous racism in her world highlights the historical setting and the larger conflicts of Maggie’s life. While Mrs. Dowler is an outlier and as a character reflects Justice and Fair Treatment in a Divided Society, the author reiterates that this behavior is not the norm that Maggie and other Black residents in the South experience in interactions or employment with white people.

“I was willing to do whatever it took to stay on good terms with my son. Even if it meant it would cost me every dime I had.”

Maggie’s efforts to ingratiate herself with Daisy to not alienate Claude reflect the desperation she feels and the first of a series of sacrifices she makes to preserve her relationship with her son. Maggie is willing to keep up the appearance of friendliness to Daisy if it will gain her continued access to Claude.

“I don’t know how your people make it in this world without going crazy!”

Mrs. Dowler, who is accepting of an integrated society, expresses her frustration at the discrimination Maggie faces because she is a Black woman. Her sentiment offers a moment of dark humor since Maggie’s worst treatment will come from within Mrs. Dowler’s household. Her reference to “your people” suggests that she, also, thinks of Black people as a separate group from white people.

“I was prepared to fight this battle to the very end—even if it took my last breath away.”

When Maggie learns Daisy has physically attacked and threatened Claude, she decides that Daisy is her adversary and she will fight her if it means protecting` Claude. Maggie’s line about her last breath foreshadows her death at the very end of the novel.

“I had heard more than one person say, ‘If you kick a dog long enough, that dog is going to bite you.’ Daisy had turned me into a dog, and she’d kicked me long enough.”

Learning Daisy attacked Claude and meant to force him to end contact with his family pushes Maggie to decide to eliminate Daisy from Claude’s life. She uses this analogy of the beaten dog to justify her actions as self-defense to stop Daisy’s abuse of Claude.

“My chest was tight, and my stomach was in knots. My head was throbbing on both sides, and in the front and back. I wondered if all killers went through so many changes before they committed murder.”

This passage captures Monroe’s characteristic descriptive style, brief and to the point. There’s also a characteristic dark humor in the passage as Maggie, committed to the action she plans to take against Daisy, already thinks of herself as a killer. Maggie’s physical upset builds suspense, while Monroe’s matter-of-fact narration of the event still makes the murder a shocking moment in the narrative.

“I wondered if other mothers would have done what I did to make things right for their families again? One thing was for sure, if it happened again, I’d do the same thing to the next woman!”

This passage introduces humor into the tense action as Maggie, far from the expected feelings of remorse, feels jubilant that killing Daisy has improved Claude’s situation. She continues to see her actions as justified in defense of herself and her child’s safety and happiness.

“It was so hard to believe that after all I’d been through because of Daisy, I was about to have another nasty situation to deal with. One thing was for sure, I was going to do whatever I had to do to keep my job.”

Maggie connects her problems with Daisy and her problems with Oswald in her mind, which is one reason she comes so easily to the conclusion that she needs to kill Oswald too. Maggie’s priority of keeping her job suggests that her actions are less about justice than about self-interest. This self-interest will motivate her to commit further murders as well.

“I convinced myself that having to drive a death-related vehicle to go kill somebody was a sign that it was meant to be.”

Along with the moments of irony, Maggie’s voice adds much humor to the book, a vivid contrast to the moments of high tension. Having already resolved to kill Oswald, she decides that being forced to drive the hearse to commit murder is a sign that her actions are justified.

“I was scared and nervous, but at the same time I was glad I had done what I did. I didn’t feel guilty because he’d had it coming. Just like Daisy.”

One of Maggie’s character attributes is that she doesn’t feel remorse over her murders; instead, she feels she is doling out retribution to contribute to Justice and Fair Treatment in a Divided Society. She is capable of remorse, as demonstrated by how she feels bad for tricking Randolph, but she rationalizes that she is serving the greater good by eliminating dangerous people in the community.

“I didn’t think of myself as a murderer, at least not like the people who killed for stupid reasons like robbery, love, and whatnot. What I’d done to Daisy and Mr. Oswald had been ‘self-defense,’ in my book. I’d had to get them before they got me.”

As Maggie continues to rationalize her actions as self-defense, her repeated justifications suggest she is dealing with guilt, offering internal character conflict. Maggie’s morality around these decisions offers an ironic contrast to the generosity she shows to other people in her life.

“By now, I didn’t have no problem eliminating threats. The more I did it, the easier it got. But from a moral standpoint, I knew that killing was wrong.”

Maggie’s internal conflict increases as she acknowledges that murder is morally wrong, but she feels the act is becoming easier to execute. Here, her tragic character arc is unfolding as she continues to take actions that harm others while continuing to justify her choices.