Happy Land

“In the last couple of years I’ve lost my joy for selling real estate. I haven’t sold a single property in months, and I’m about to run out of savings. If I don’t get my act together, I’m going to be in real financial trouble soon. The truth of the matter is that my life is a mess right now.”

These thoughts from Nikki introduce her primary internal conflict throughout the text. The life that she has built for herself is an unfulfilling one, as she is unhappy with her career and struggles to be happy. Nikki’s lack of purpose sets the shape of her character arc, as she will gradually gain a sense of belonging, purpose, and new sense of hope by the novel’s end.

“I was valued for my sewing skills, though I never enjoyed the task.”

The first introduction to Luella is similar to Nikki’s introduction, in that they both do not enjoy the thing that they are expected to do by society and both find their lives unfulfilling. This parallel connects the two narratives, inviting the reader to explore the way that these two women—generations apart—are similar in the constraints and expectations they face.

“Not vote? Just the thought scared me. Voting was what it meant to be a citizen, a generational wish passed down from our parents and grandparents. It had been the laws that had enslaved us in the first place. Only way to change the law was to vote.”

These thoughts emphasize the radical nature of the kingdom that William wishes to create as well as his strength as a leader. He recognizes the deeply rooted systemic racism in white society and is willing to separate his people from it completely, creating a new system rather than trying to change a broken one. Luella’s reservations and her desire to “change the law” also reflect how systematically disenfranchised Black Americans are in the post-war South, an issue that will also be reflected in The Politics of Land Ownership.

“‘I’m guessing [your mother] didn’t say much about me at all.’ […]

‘Only you and Mama know why that is.’

‘It’s because she’s a Judas, that’s why.’”

This interaction between Mother Rita and Nikki introduces the conflict between Mama and Mother Rita, something that Nikki does not fully understand. Mother Rita’s use of the word “Judas” is an allusion to Judas in the Bible, who betrayed Jesus to the authorities before the crucifixion. Here, Mother Rita is alluding to Mama’s betrayal when she would not pay for Mother Rita’s taxes, which led to the discovery by the Thomas brothers that they owned the land. Although these details will not be revealed until later in the text, this moment foreshadows their revelation.

“Our Happy Land. Our paradise. It was as if my feet lifted off the ground. We was finally free—spirit free, body free. In that moment, we became something new yet again. How many times could we be birthed?”

These thoughts from Luella link to the motif of religion and faith found throughout the novel. Specifically, they develop the connection between the kingdomfolk’s journey to their new land and the Israelites being led out of Egypt to freedom. She sees their new kingdom as a “paradise,” just as the Israelites saw Canaan as their Promised Land.

“I kneel and examine them closely. The rocks are smooth, as if they came from water. Without names, I don’t know who I’m looking at, but I’m touched by a sense of holiness. This is sacred ground for my family. I graze the tips of the grass with my palm as I wonder about their stories. Who were my people, and what had they sought on this mountain?”

The second time that Nikki visits the graveyard, an important symbol in the novel, a change is occurring within her. The first time, she fixated on the lack of markings and the disheveled state of the graveyard. Now, she begins to wonder about the people buried there and the connection that she has to them within her personal history, emphasizing the shift in her perception of the past and The Battle Against Historical Erasure.

“I’d always thought of Hendersonville as some far-off place. Completely different from my life in D.C. These are the hills, after all. Appalachia. These people are supposed to talk different. Dress different. Act different. But they look like everybody else I’ve ever known. I’m not sure why that strikes me in this moment, but it does. We are all the same, I think.”

These thoughts from Nikki, as she sits and watches the people in the hospital waiting room, further emphasize the change that she is undergoing in the novel. For the first time, she acknowledges her biases about her grandmother’s home: She imagined that they were somehow less educated or less sophisticated than the people in her life in DC. However, her acknowledgement that they are the “same” emphasizes her growing understanding of the importance of her roots and her history.

“The word was a powerful one for us. Ladyhood had been a term reserved for white women. So when I said it, they heard it. It was hard not to examine every word in these days of freedom. We’d always known the power of language, in some ways more powerful than the whip, but it was during freedom that we took back our words, starting with what we called ourselves.”

When Luella speaks with the gathered women of the kingdom, her decision to use the word “ladies” to refer to them reflects her intelligence. She is aware of how enslavement has always made them feel, so even something as simple as changing the way they refer to themselves makes a difference in their existence. Additionally, her words develop the theme of The Battle Against Historical Erasure, as her words connect to Nikki’s discoveries in the old ledgers: Formerly enslaved people were rarely recorded properly in the census. Similarly, they were treated as property, something Luella acknowledges when she chooses the term “ladies” instead to emphasize their personhood and dignity.

“Maddie Mae meets me at sunrise the next day. We’ll do all the cutting ourselves. I wear Mother Rita’s clean apron over my T-shirt and jeans and lace up my new boots.”

After Mother Rita goes in the hospital, Nikki dedicates herself to maintaining her flowers and helping to sell them at market to help Mother Rita. In this moment, her “new boots” symbolize her growing sense of belonging within her grandmother’s community. Before, she didn’t even own shoes appropriate for walking outside. Now, she is prepared to put on an apron, jeans, and boots to physically partake in the labor of her grandmother’s land.

“Mother Rita got her love of flowers from her mother, who must have gotten it from her mother and grandmother. Yet another locked door of secrets. Answers to questions I hadn’t even realized I had.”

This metaphor, which compares Nikki’s attempts to discover her past to facing “locked door[s],” emphasizes the struggle that Nikki is undergoing as she attempts to uncover her past. There are generations of history to discover, with only Mother Rita’s information and what little she can glean from the library to help her. Despite this, she is now convinced that it is something she wants to and has to do, reflecting The Importance of Collective History to the Self.

“‘Most times, you walked up to a courthouse and you had to pass by a Confederate statue just to enter the front door. It was like they was telling you that you weren’t welcome and never would be. It wasn’t coincidence that they put those statues in front of courthouses. They were meant to intimidate.’ Her voice is low and angry.

I knew about recent campaigns to remove Confederate memorials, but I hadn’t connected it to courthouses and the legal system.”

Nikki’s conversation with Mother Rita represents a moment of enlightenment for her character, while connecting their experiences to the world outside of the novel. Around the time of the publication of the novel, there were several prominent debates and campaigns around the removal of Confederate statues. Mother Rita’s words provide the perspective of a Black woman who grew up in the Jim Crow Era and who understands the legacy of these statues, which also reflect The Politics of Land Ownership and the disenfranchisement of Black Americans within the legal system.

“Beneath the stack of Mama’s report cards is a schedule of my soccer team from nearly thirty years ago. A photo of the trophy we won. My eight-grade graduation program. Copies of my high school newspaper naming honor roll students with my name underlined. My high school graduation program. And an original letter of my acceptance to Howard.”

The box that Maddie shows to Nikki, which contains things throughout her childhood that Mother Rita has saved, symbolizes the importance of familial history to Mother Rita. Just as she values the land she lives on, the story of the kingdom, and the graveyard, she equally values Nikki’s personal history, as represented by the items in the box.

“But it’s more than the monetary value. Losing the kingdom has meant we’ve lost connection as a family and our knowledge of ancestral legacy. We’re no longer stewards of the land. Mama no longer puts her hands in the earth, and neither do any of us descendants.”

Nikki’s reaction to the news that Mother Rita’s land could be worth millions of dollars highlights the change that she is undergoing in the novel and The Politics of Land Ownership. When the reader is first introduced to her, she is stressed about her career—largely because she has very little money and is not making sales. Now, she has no interest in the money, instead focusing on what it means for her history and her descendants if they lose their ancestral land.

“But you should also know that even if Al does agree, his brother jointly owns the land. He still lives in Durham and all he cares about is the money. He wants to split all the land up and sell off all the lots.”

One antagonist in the text is Al, who plans to sell Mother Rita’s land for profit and evict her from it, reflecting The Politics of Land Ownership. However, Nikki’s interactions with his wife, Jessica, complicate his role in the situation. Instead of being a villain, Al is instead presented as a sympathetic character. Despite Mother Rita’s insistence that he is a “snake,” the reality is that he only has partial control in the decision regarding the land. In turn, this leaves one of the only true antagonists in the novel—Al’s brother—as a character that is entirely absent from the novel, emphasizing the interconnectedness and sense of community among everyone who lives in Mother Rita’s community.

“A family tree isn’t just something you draw on paper. It’s an actual tree planted in the ground, with bark for skin and branches for arms. It’s the earth pushed up into the sky. It’s the physical manifestation of dreams, like the palace and the schoolhouse. A flame burns within me to know more.”

The moment when Nikki stands in the ruins of the ashes is the moment of true change for her character in the novel. She realizes for the first time that her ancestry is not just names, but rather people who lived and breathed and continue to influence her life today. Her change is reflected in the metaphor of a “flame” inside her, emphasizing the passion she now has to discover the truth and learn more about The Importance of Collective History to the Self.

“We’d had to pay our way out from under the law. We’d had to buy the land or remain in debt to the Widow and possibly be kicked off after her death. At every turn we’d had to do something miraculous to survive.”

Luella’s thoughts emphasize the resilience of the members of the kingdom and The Politics of Land Ownership as they struggle to retain control of their land. She acknowledges everything that they have been through, surviving and prospering in spite of it all.

“We was family, more than brother and sister but less than husband and wife. It was hard to explain, so I didn’t. But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to myself that I ached inside, that I’d been hurting ever since Robert walked out that door.”

These thoughts from Luella emphasize the nontraditional nature of her relationships with both Robert and William. While she oscillates between the two throughout the text—largely due to the men’s choices or to things outside her control—she admits that she loves both of them, for different reasons and in different ways. In the past, she could not make a decision about being with Robert because she so deeply feared how the kingdom would view her. Now, she has no shame, instead taking pride in the life that she has built with both men.

“I didn’t know why anybody would buy flowers, flowers they could have grown in their own yards, but they loved mines especially after I put them in glass jars.”

The first time flowers appear in Luella’s narrative, an important symbol in the novel, is when she is trying to raise money for Sunny’s wedding dress. Although she doesn’t understand why people want to buy them, she realizes that there is a market for them, so she learns to make bouquets and arrangements. This moment draws a parallel between Luella and Mother Rita’s stories, emphasizing the interconnectedness of these women despite generations of separation.

“You mean that old cockamamie story that you could never let go of? Growing up, all you talked about was the kingdom this and the kingdom that. There ain’t even proof your queen wore a crown.”

Mama’s angry words to Mother Rita emphasize her stubbornness and resistance to change, holding onto her belief that the story of the kingdom is untrue, even as Nikki begins to change and accept it. Her words emphasize the theme of The Battle Against Historical Erasure. In her eyes, she needs “proof” of the events, showing her alignment with traditional beliefs about history. However, for Mother Rita and Nikki, the words of their ancestors have become enough “proof” they need for their history.

“As we climbed in the cart, Robert said to me, ‘You think he do what he say?’

‘He called us Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery. You hear that? He the best we can do,’ I replied. And that was the truth.”

Just after Robert and Luella leave Weaver’s office, Robert questions whether they can trust the lawyer in light of The Politics of Land Ownership. Luella’s acknowledgement that she only believes him because he was respectful obscures the reality: The lawyer plans to swindle them later. Additionally, Luella’s words give a sense of resignation; she acknowledges that, even if she doesn’t trust the man, they are in a situation where they have no choice, as they are fighting the police and legal system as Black people.

“It must have taken such belief in the magic of possibility for those kingdomfolk to call themselves royals. Somewhere along the way, our family had lost that wonder. Maybe that’s what’s wrong with Shawnie.”

Nikki’s thoughts in response to her mother’s disbelief in the kingdom emphasize the theme of The Importance of Collective History to the Self. Nikki takes the history that she has learned—about her ancestors and their audacity to create a kingdom—and applies it to her own life, considering whether she and Shawnie struggle to believe in themselves and their power due to their disconnect from their family’s legacy.

“This deep hurt between them has everything to do with their love for each other, but it also has everything to do with a long-ago queen who defied belief. The two women had literally erected a mountain between them.”

This metaphor, which compares the disagreement between Mother Rita and Mama to a mountain, emphasizes their inability to truly reconcile their differences between them. Despite this fact, they come together as mother and daughter to help save the land, highlighting their love for each other despite their differences. Although they never truly get over their feud, they pave the way for Nikki to move forward and take over Mother Rita’s land in her place.

“Then I’d turn around and walk the path back to the palace, carrying the hope that my children and my children’s children would make something even better, that they’d carry with them the memory that we had tried our best to give them something like home.”

Luella’s final lines draw a parallel between her life and the life that Nikki is living. She saved her kingdom in the hopes that it would impact future generations, which is exactly what is happening through Nikki’s narrative. Her words also highlight The Importance of Collective History to the Self, as the kingdom created history that will provide a sense of belonging for both Mother Rita and Nikki in the future.