To Da-Duh, In Memoriam

The core theme of “To Da-duh, in Memoriam” is the conflict and cultural exchange between the generations, represented by Da-duh, the grandmother, and the narrator, her granddaughter. In discussing the story, Paule Marshall was explicit about this theme, writing, “I wanted the basic theme of youth and old age to suggest rivalries” (95). As in many works centered on this rivalry, Marshall’s story depicts the elderly as seeking to uphold tradition and seeing the old ways as best, while the youth embrace technology, embody modernity, and overturn traditions. However, despite this tension, the narrator does adopt some of the grandmother’s ways, showing her desire for a connection to her ancestors and her culture. 

The story establishes the basic conflict by juxtaposing the grandmother’s age with the narrator’s youth. At “only nine,” the narrator has “lean hips” and must repeatedly “look up” to see her grandmother—physical details that emphasize her girlish stature and physique. By contrast, descriptions of the grandmother emphasize her worn appearance, even implying that she is near death: “The maggots might have already done their work, leaving only the framework of bone beneath the ruined skin and deep wells at the temple and jaw” (96-97).