Life and Death

Whether in her plot or through her characters, North emphasizes that life and death are inexorably intermingled. From the first page, she exposes the acceptance of this fact by generations of Christians, including that of her narrator: "We had heard about how God had sent the Great Flu to cleanse the world of evil, just like he'd sent the flood so many centuries before" (1). In Ada's world, childbirth is viewed as a way to ward off death, a pact with God to keep oneself and one's family safe from catastrophes. Giving life appears as the antidote to early death.

At a young age, Ada learns the inescapable bond between life and death: "Mama says at every birth, death is in the room. You can try to ignore it, or you can acknowledge it, and greet it like a guest, and then you won't be...