Response to Folklore - Sukey and the Mermaid (for Adolescent Literature class)

I am so confused. I am including by response to The People Could Fly first:

I was a little unsure about reading folk tales. I did not have much experience with them previously; the ones that I did read, I never liked too much. I tend to dislike stories with undeveloped characters and simplistic plot lines. Characterization is one of my favorite parts of all narratives and so I feel a little sad when I read the interchangeable characters. Really, if we were to dissect it, we could change the names of any of the characters in the folktales (which happened frequently) and most of the attributes. The jokester is always the jokester; the villain is always the villain; the hero is always the hero. I have realized in reading these folktales that this is not the point and it is unfair to critique these tales by standard literary merits such as character arcs, plot developments or use of language. I will go into this further in the critical section of my response.

I am still not a huge fan of the folk genre; that’s simply due to what I enjoy about reading. As I said before, I enjoy arcs of all kinds and folk never seems to have this. I can say, however, that Virginia Hamilton’s collection of folktales has given me a greater respect of the genre. I had to take a look at the history of the tales, the vernacular they are written in, and the idea that they are meant (as most folktales are) to be remembered and shared orally with a group. Folktales are more than just stories; they are historical sources that aim to interpret the thoughts, feelings and desires of a group of people at a certain time in history. Additionally, their stories are not so different from the types of stories I like to read; many folktales serve as the basis for the archetypal characters we might see in today’s fiction. Perhaps today’s characters and plots are more fleshed out, but we can see folktales as a dot on the timeline of the history of fiction. These are the beginnings of fiction when books either didn’t exist or were unusable by the population.

The People Could Fly is an excellent collection of folktales. Virginia Hamilton makes these tales accessible by the readers by providing a commentary at the end of each story. Sometimes she explains the origination of the tales; sometimes she discusses some variants among regions. No matter what, she provides a sense of history and importance to these folktales.

This brings me back to the idea that I cannot criticize folktales as I would other types of literature. These tales give us a synopsis of what African Americans of the mid to late 1800s considered entertaining and inspiring. The book is broken down into four sections: animal tales, fanciful tales, supernatural tales, and tales of freedom. In connecting all four of these sections together, certain themes, such as work, freedom and family begin to emerge. I feel, though, the most important theme to emerge is the small overcoming the large. Many of the stories deal with the individual, unremarkable man getting freedom from slaves masters, the devil or magical beasts through uses of unknown magic, good fortune or plain wit. To me, this seems like a commentary on the lack of agency and power in the African American communities at this time in history.

These folktales are important to preserve because it is apart of American and African American history. The stories originate from the West Indies and Africa and develop as they are retold around different regions of America. It is important to preserve these stories and understand the voices of the slaves. The oral storytelling may not be as prominent as it once was, but Virginia Hamilton and others have done an excellent job at preserving these stories in an original structure and dialect.


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For my choice book in the folktale unit, I chose Sukey and the Mermaid by Robert San Souci. I read this book before I read The People Could Fly and I’m still not sure if that was the best decision or not. I suppose it doesn’t matter and I should just be grateful I read both. Reading The People Could Fly, however, gave me a better insight into Sukey and the Mermaid.


I enjoyed this book as an experience. I tend to not enjoy reading folktales because I enjoy developed characters and plausible plotlines. Folktales usually drive me a little crazy with their simplicity, even though I understand the historical and cultural significance of them and the nature of their oral pasts. However, the big, bright illustrations really created an enjoyable experience for me. I hate to say that folktales are more enjoyable in a children’s book format, but I think it works better that way for me. It forces me to let go of my initial reaction of approaching the text with the intent of analyzing and criticizing it using forms of literary critique. It allows me to first appreciate the story for what it is and then go back and critique it.




After reading The People Could Fly, I can say this tale appealed to me more emotionally than any of the tales in Hamilton’s books did. First of all, the protagonist was a little girl; this was something I was sad to not see in Hamilton’s collection. All of the tales in Hamilton’s collection seemed very man-centric; the only women included were mothers, witches or wives. Additionally, the abuse came from the home instead of the plantation and the isolation of the island made the tale made the tale connect with me more emotionally. I felt for Sukey and wanted her to have a good life.



This tale is definitely a good example of a folktale and could have been easily included with Hamilton’s tales. The story derives from a West African tale that has been influenced by the Caribbean and American South. It is written in the dialect of the Sea Islands of South Carolina’s coast. Its protagonist is a person who has very little power, but gains power and good fortune through the mystical: this time, a beautiful, black mermaid named Mama Jo.



Sukey, like many of the protagonists in The People Could Fly, faces difficulty in being isolated on a small island, being a black woman, and being abused by her step-father. Her encounter with Mama Jo is a way to escape her oppression. The interested twist Sukey and the Mermaid takes, however, is the idea that a problem-free life is not necessarily as wonderful as it sounds. Mama Jo takes Sukey beneath the water to live with her, but Sukey begins to miss the land, her family and her home. Despite escaping from her hardships, she asks to return to them.



On land, Sukey faces more difficulties as her step-father murders her fiancé for the sack of gold Mama Jo gave Sukey. This story does not stray too far from the norms of the folktale genre; the story has to have a happy ending. It does as Mama Jo’s magic brings Sukey’s fiancé back to life and the evil step-father dies. Everyone seems to live happily ever after.



In reading this story, it’s easy to notice the similarities between it and other fairy tales, especially Cinderella. Sukey may be a Cinderella figure, but she still incorporates the characteristics of a Southern black folk figure. She uses her cleverness to escape from bad situations; she uses magic to aid in making her life better, but she uses it wisely; she has a dedication to family and community; most importantly, she does not become mentally overwhelmed by her hardships. Her body gives out before her will. She is a strong woman and any reader cannot help but cheer for her happy ending.