Where The Watermelons Grow

Mama (Suzanne Kelly) is Della and Mylie’s mother and the primary source of conflict in the novel. However, this does not make Mama the antagonist. Mama herself struggles against her schizophrenia for the duration of the novel, and her mental illness causes her to make choices that negatively impact the rest of her family. Although most of Mama’s presence in the novel features her battle with her illness, Della narrates memories that detail Mama when she’s at her best. Della describes Mama as pretty, with straw-colored hair. Mama is a wordsmith who enjoys telling stories. She sings and reads to Della.

Mama’s schizophrenia manifests in several ways. Mama has a fear of germs and an intense need for cleanliness. Mama also feels paranoid that people are trying to hurt Della and Mylie. She says this is because her father tells her so and tells her to keep the girls safe, even though her father is dead. Mama’s schizophrenia first appeared when she gave birth to Della, and it is triggered in times of great stress, like when her father died four years prior to the novel’s events. Mama had to be committed to the hospital after her father’s death, and this stint in the hospital impacted Della, whose biggest fear throughout the novel is that Mama may have to go back.

In Chapter 14, Mama reveals she’s been secretly refusing her medication, stating that “Those pills make [her] sick” (133). This reveal illustrates how Mama’s perception of her medication has been warped by her mental illness, making it even harder for Mama to get the help she needs. In Chapter 20, Daddy reveals that Mama has gone to the hospital, having attacked Daddy for trying to feed Mylie against Mama’s wishes. Mama’s story arc ends with her in the hospital, accepting the help she needs and getting back on medications to help her and the family move forward.

Daddy (Miles Kelly) is Della and Mylie’s father. Daddy inherited the Kelly farm from his own father after his parents moved to the city. For this growing season, Daddy has made changes to the farm, switching everything over to organic farming. With the unbearable heat, the ongoing drought, and the new challenge of chemical-free growing, one of Daddy’s primary conflicts is keeping the farm afloat through the growing season. Daddy is so invested in his work that when Mama begins to decline, it’s more than Daddy can handle all at once. Although Della says Daddy “never sounded upset” in Chapter 1 (7), Daddy’s temper frays the longer Mama is unwell. When Daddy and Della return from picking up a tractor part to find Mama scrubbing the cabinets with bleach while Mylie screams, Daddy yells at Mama to pay attention to her daughters before abandoning the scene, leaving Della to handle the mess Mama has made.

Daddy struggles to manage his stress surrounding Mama and the farm for the rest of the novel until Chapter 25, when Daddy apologizes to Della, acknowledging that he put too much responsibility on her. Daddy and Della mend their bond, and Daddy helps Della understand that they planned for the risk of Mama’s mental illness impacting the family when they decided to get pregnant with Mylie—that they love Della so much, they chose to have another baby despite the risk. At the end of the novel, Daddy appears calmer and happier, and is ready to take Della for another visit to Mama.