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Of Love and Dust: Marcus And Louise Talk About Leaving

Of Love and Dust
Marcus And Louise Talk About Leaving
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table of contents
  1. Title Page
  2. Introduction to the Novel
  3. Transcriptions
    1. Opening Scene When Jim Meets Marcus
    2. Jim Describes John and Freddie
    3. Louise Notices Marcus
    4. House Fair
    5. Marcus Notices Louise
    6. Louise's Backstory
    7. Jim And Marcus Clash
    8. Jim Recalls Waiting On Pauline And Bonbon
    9. Aunt Margaret Confronts Louise
    10. Marshall Observes Marcus
    11. Marcus Goes To Louise
    12. Marcus And Louise Talk About Leaving
    13. Unpublished, Jim Reflections
    14. Unpublished, Jim In New Orleans
    15. Unpublished, Gaines Speech
  4. Keywords
    1. Bail Bonds
    2. Blackface
    3. Cajun
    4. Gallery
    5. Generational Trauma
    6. House Fairs
    7. Jackson (Insane Asylum)
    8. Leer
    9. Louisiana State Penitentiary ("Angola")
    10. Lynching
    11. Mammy
    12. Plantation
    13. Race
    14. Resistance
    15. Sex
    16. Sharecropping
  5. Bibliography

Document Information

  • Section & Chapter: Part Three, Chapter 38-59
  • Scene: Marcus and Louise talk to Aunt Margaret about leaving.
  • Draft: Early Manuscript
  • File location: Box 3, folder 9

Discussion Questions

  1. What does Aunt Margaret mean when she says that Marcus and Louise think they are children?
  2. How does Louise treat Aunt Margret. What does that treatment say about Louise’s character?

“Nobody go’n die,” Louise said.

“Both o’ y’all,” Aunt Margaret said. “’Specially him. Right here.”

“We going, ain’t we honey?” Louise said.

“We going,” he said.

“Y’all going, all right,” Aunt Margaret said. “Both o’ yall going all right. Soon as they find out, y’all sure going.”

“Shut up, Margaret,” Louise said.

“You go’n make me shut up, Miss Louise?” Aunt Margaret said.

“Yes, I’m go’n make you shut up,” Louise said. “Shut up.”

“Let her talk, honey,” Marcus said. “Let her get it off her chest. We don’t worry ‘bout what she think. You starting to worry ‘bout what she think?”

“No,” Louise said.

“Y’all think y’all children,” Aunt Margaret said. “Y’all think y’all making mud cover in the yard. Not a black and a white child— no ‘cause a black and a white child old enough to make mud cover would already know they can’t ever live together. No, y’all act like two. Black children or two white children playing in the yard. There ain’t nothing to stop you from…”

Document Information

  • Section & Chapter: Part Three, Chapter 38-59
  • Scene: Marcus and Louise talk to Aunt Margaret about leaving.
  • Draft: Late Typescript
  • File location: Box 3, folder 30

Discussion Questions

  1. What does Aunt Margaret mean when she says that Marcus and Louise think they are children?
  2. How does Louise treat Aunt Margret. What does that treatment say about Louise’s character?

“Heard that, Margaret?” Louise said. “Maybe when we get up North we’ll send for you.”

“Y’all ain’t going nowhere,” Aunt Margaret said. “Y’all go’n die right here. ‘Specially him there.”

“Nobody go’n die,” Louise said.

“Both o’ y’all,” Aunt Margaret said. “‘Specially him. Right here.”

“We going, ain’t we, honey?” Louise said.

“We going,” he said.

“Y’all going, all right,” Aunt Margaret said. “Both o’ y’all going, all right. Soon’s they find out, y’all sure going.”

“Shut up, Margaret,” Louise said.

“You go’n make me shut up, Miss Louise?” Aunt Margaret said.

“Yes, I’m go’n make you shut up,” Louise said. “Shut up.”

“Let her talk, honey,” Marcus said. “Let her get it off her chest. We don’t worry ‘bout what she think. You starting to worry ‘bout what she think?”

“No,” Louise said.

“Y’all think y’all children,” Aunt Margaret said. “Y’all think y’all making mudpies in the yard. Not a black and a white child—no, ‘cause a black and a white child old enough to make mudpies already know that they can’t ever live together. No, y’all act like two black or two white children playing in the yard. There ain’t nothing to stop y’all from going North ‘cause North’s right ‘around the house. Well, North ain’t right…”

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Unpublished, Jim's Reflections
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