The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street

“Home was the coziest, pleasantest place in the world” (Enright). “Home and I are such good friends” (Montgomery). The novel opens with two epigraphs, one from Elizabeth Enright’s Spiderweb for Two and one from L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables, and both establish the prominent theme of the definition of home in the novel. Humans have long found their sense of identity in a place, whether it be their country of origin or a specific region, and this distinction becomes a central part of their identity and their sense of belonging. An important part of the Vanderbeeker family’s identity is their place of residence. Their historic, whimsical brownstone is the ideal place for their large, energetic family to live, and they share a unique connection to its aged structure as its strange noises don’t bother them but instead make them feel as if the home is communicating with them. However, the family’s connection to place goes beyond the physical structure in which they reside. The reader learns that, long before he had a family of his own, the Harlem neighborhood was Papa’s home. When Mama and Papa cannot find another home to rent in the neighborhood, Mama suggests they consider moving closer to her family in Ottenville, but despite her not having the same connection to Harlem as Papa, she understands how painful moving away could be for him.