Mama Day

This phrase appears with some frequency in the novel. The Prologue mentions that the single bridge is the only way of crossing into or out of Willow Springs; similarly, George ominously asks himself at the end of Part I, “And as we crossed over the bridge, squeezed into the front of Dr. Buzzard’s truck, was that the time to turn everything around?” (277). Cocoa later reflects:

My bond with [her family] was such that even if hate and rage were to tear us totally apart, they knew I was always theirs. And I sensed that knowledge dawning on you from the moment we crossed over the bridge: you were entering a part of my existence that you were powerless in (293).

This motif undergirds the novel’s theme of liminality, as it represents the moment at which a character passes from one “space” to another. Just as Cocoa and George must literally cross over the bridge to make the transition from the world of New York City to the world of Willow Springs, they must also figuratively cross over in the sense that they must adapt to their new surroundings. The motif also allows Naylor to strengthen the contrast between New York and Willow Springs, as the idea of crossing a threshold implies that the settings are distinguished by more than just their geographic distance.