Hallow Melancon

Hallow is one of the protagonists of Caul Baby. Immediately after she is born, Hallow is adopted by the Melancon family. As a child, she is doted on by Maman and Josephine, who are elated to have a caulbearing heir. While they are affectionate with her, they impose strict rules; Hallow is not allowed to leave the brownstone without supervision or attend school like her cousin, Helena. When Maman brings her to a community meeting, Hallow is initially excited to leave the family home. However, she is horrified when Maman “nonchalantly [holds] a flame to [her] fingers” to demonstrate the power of the caul to Sister Evans (112). She feels betrayed by her grandmother and isolated within the family. While she is afraid of Maman’s matter of fact manner, she complies when asked to cut caul from her aunt, Iris.

As the years progress Hallow’s feeling...