The Conjure Woman by Charles Chestnutt is a narrative plot, telling a story within a story and incorporating valuable information about the traditional African fetishism practiced by slaves against their masters. Fetishism or Voodoun provides a source of power and, as a result, gives slaves a feeling of mastery over their cruel masters. John assumes that the black magic practiced by slaves was meaningless and therefore powerless, however, he has the opportunity to witness how traditional Negro doctors could heal a wound or remove a spell. John establishes the slave's medicine as "the powers of darkness" and classifies Christianity as the "powers of light." (Castagna 2008). The dichotomy of characterizing slaves as black, darkness, or evil and whites as light and good is a pattern of language that John perpetuates in his story. However, old Uncle Julius proves him wrong as he proves that it is the slaves who overcome the darkness of slavery through the use of their voodoo. John assumes that blacks are inferior to him “because we like to talk about the low morality of inferior races” (Chesnutt 2008). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The text contains common racial assumptions and stereotypes of blacks at the time that marginalize them. For example, when introduced to a black boy, John states that his “first impression of Tom turned out to be correct. He turned out to be very unimportant and I was very annoyed by his laziness, inattention and lack of responsibility. (Chesnutt 2008). However, in Mars Jeems Nightmare, the coin is flipped and it is white who understands life on the other side of the fence. Mars Jeems suffers from the cruelty of the slave owner who usually called the slaves lazy since it seemed like the work wasn't getting done fast enough. The narrator of the story himself, Uncle Julius, was not lazy because he belonged to the lineage of plantation slaves, a “tiring farm laborer” (Chesnutt 2008); therefore, this image of the lazy and carefree black must be abolished. John observes that black “relics of ancestral barbarism are found among all peoples, but advanced civilization has at least shaken off the most obvious absurdities of superstition. We no longer attribute madness to demonic possession” (Chesnutt 2008). Here he relegates Afrocentric religion to a vain, useless superstition that testifies to a barbaric people. In John's dealings with Uncle Julius, the former is condescending and although he treats him better than the typical black man, he still has these preconceived notions of the black race as uncultured and substandard in American society. The effectiveness of superstition is highlighted in Mars Jeem's Nightmare where the master was rewarded for the treatment of his slaves. Uncle Julius, the narrator "never indulged in any regret for the Arcadian gaiety and irresponsibility which was a rather popular conception of slavery." (Castagna 2008). In the days of slavery, that period was commonly thought to be a time of carefree joys, pleasures, and nostalgic joy as slaves enjoyed oppression under their white masters. Julius began to squash this theory by painting graphic images of cruelty, exploitation, and dehumanization. The figure of the black minstrel began to emerge where darkness was primitive and comical. Black Minstrelsy gave the Negro the platform literally and figuratively to communicate joy and sorrow, humor and pathos, joke and criticism. The minstrel was often depicted smiling, drumming, or singing, always insensitive to his suffering. ThereUncle Giulio's oral narration, however, also gives the black man the literary strength to express himself when he is denied education. The narrative is delivered in a simple dialect that reveals the narrator's lack of formal education, but the simple language betrays a depth that even John must admit: being black is not the same as being ignorant or uncultured. It is through John that the story of Uncle Julius lives on and is immortalized for future generations. The question of motherhood is central to the novel The Conjure Woman. As a matter of fact, motherhood plays a vital role in Voodoo and African Paganism, modeled on Mami Wata, the Mother Goddess of Waters and Mother of Nature-Earth. Mami Wata is a charming, beautiful, seductive and serpentine woman who deceives and betrays many. Depicted primarily as a mermaid, she jealously reigns over other water spirits. Because of her maternal attributes, her supplicants seek her protection, nourishment, wisdom, and wealth. The main mother characters depicted in these novels are the tragic slave mother, the grieving children, and the institution of slavery that orchestrates the separation of the family. Slavery had both a negative and positive impact on African Americans and family structure. Although family ties survived during slavery, they remain fragile in the African American community. WEB Du Bois attributes this trend to slave owners who first separated families whenever they decided to sell slaves and quell riots in homes and plantations. Through the family, white slave owners had the ability to classify slaves as children born into slavery were expected to take on their mother's status. Chesnutt's "Little Sandy" and Sis' Becky's "Pickaninny" are united in their theme of Negro family separation. However, it is the summoning that comes to the rescue to keep the family together. The slave mother was someone to be pitied as she faced the danger of eternal separation from her children at the whim of her slave master. The separation was conducted in such a way as to make it almost impossible to reunite the families. Jacobs explains that «for the slave mother, New Year brings with it particular pain. She sits on the cold cabin floor and watches the children who might be taken from her the next morning” (Jacobs 2003). The classic song “Sometimes I feel like a motherless child, far away from home” rings true in these slaves. narratives because there is that period of homelessness, displacement and longing for a love that is usually the first one meets after birth. Slave children all feel disconnected and in one way or another hope and seek that compassion and tenderness that characterize a mother. In the days of slavery, not only were slave children ripped from their mothers' wombs (literally and figuratively), but sometimes the mothers never survived to see the child's growth and development. Other times, in the case of Mag Smith in Our Nig, the mother chooses to give her child up for adoption seeing her incompetence in providing care. Similar to The Conjure Woman, The Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, a maternal figure, the grandmother, steps forward and fills the void created when Harriet Jacob's mother dies in her early years. It should be noted here that the name "Harriet" means "she who rules the house." However, as soon as slavery is abolished, the first priority will be to reunite with her long-lost mother. He decides “as soon as I can I will start looking for my dear mother. I will advertise for her in the newspapers and hunt her down in churches… What a cruel thing it was to separate us!” (Harper 2008). Slavery was so inhuman and dehumanizing that the slave mother was like a factory producing more property from, 2003.