Magna

Magma is the main character of the short story. She is a young black woman living in an unnamed southern town, and teaching English at the fictional university, Lashington & Wiis. Shortly after completing her graduate degree in California, Magna searched for work on the West Coast. However, she was unable to secure any of these teaching posts, and was thus forced to accept the job offer from Lashington & Wiis. She originally moved to the town with her then-boyfriend, Jamal. She and Jamal met in graduate school. Though he was stereotypical in many ways, Magna felt empowered being in his presence. Jamal was liked by everyone and a favorite of the department. Soon, she started imagining a future with him that she had never imagined with anyone else before.

Not long after relocating together to Lashington & Wiis, Jamal began pulling away from Magna. He insisted he needed to devote...