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Chapter 4
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Coming of Age in Mississippi, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Intersection of Racism and Poverty
Loss of Innocence
The Importance of Community
Gender and Racism
Religion and Hypocrisy
Summary
Analysis
One Sunday, Mama brings Essie Mae and the children to Centreville Baptist, Raymond’s family’s church. Although she had hoped that doing so would elevate her in the eyes of Miss Pearl, this is not the case: Raymond’s family shuns Mama and the children at church. Essie Mae observes Centreville Baptist, looking for differences from their previous church, Mount Pleasant. She falls in love with the choir and hopes that Mama will become a member of the church. She observes the ladies of the church reacting to Reverend Polk’s sermon and doesn’t understand why it affects them so deeply. Outside of the church, nobody talks to Essie Mae and her family. Mama never goes back to Centreville Baptist, but still sends the children there so that they will not be ostracized like she is.
Though Mama brings the children to Centreville Baptist in hopes of receiving acceptance from Raymond’s family, the failure of this effort shows the deep and unchanging nature of Miss Pearl’s prejudice. Essie Mae’s observation of the church reveal her genuine enjoyment of certain aspects but also her fundamental disconnection from many of its spiritual aspects. The church congregation’s poor treatment of Mama and her children highlight the hypocrisy that can sometimes work its way into certain religious contexts. Essie Mae will observe this phenomenon throughout the memoir.
Themes
Mama returns to church at Mount Pleasant. Though the children are by this point very involved at Centerville Baptist, Mama brings Essie Mae, Adline, and Junior to Mount Pleasant one Sunday. At first, Essie Mae is suspicious about Mama’s motives, but then she realizes that baptism season is about to begin. Essie Mae does not want to be baptized at Mount Pleasant, so she begins to avoid Mama, who wants her to be baptized immediately. One day, Mama takes the children to Mount Pleasant, promising them that the famous Minister Reverend Bridge is going to preach. However, once at church, Essie Mae realizes that he is not coming. In her confusion and in the chaos of the church scene as the congregation sings, someone pushes Anne to the front of the church with the rest of the baptism candidates. In this moment, Anne puts herself up as a baptism candidate.
Mama’s decision to return to her previous church—after Miss Pearl destroyed her hopes for connection at Centreville Baptist—shows her commitment to her community. Though Essie Mae does not want to be baptized, Mama’s insistence demonstrates her determination to protect her child in the best way she knows how. The scene in which Essie Mae accidentally reaches the front of the church shows her lack of control over the adults in her life. It also implies her lack of control over the community that she was born into.
Themes
With baptism coming up, Mama buys Essie Mae a white dress. But Essie Mae accidentally rips the dress right before baptism, Mama must repair it, and they’re late to the baptism. One by one, Revered Tyson dunks the baptism candidates in the muddy, dirty pond. When it comes to be Essie Mae’s turn, Reverend Tyson baptizes her, covering her white dress in mud.
Mama’s purchase of a new white dress for Essie Mae highlights the significance of the event in Mama’s eyes and reinforces her connection to the church and its community. The dirtiness of the pond stands in contrast to the symbolic purity of the baptism, implying that the ritual, for Essie Mae, may not serve the purpose that it intends to serve.
Themes
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