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Literary Devices
Definition of Allusion
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals, historical events, or philosophical ideas... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to... read full definition
Allusions
Explanation and Analysis—Johnny Carson:
Near the beginning of the story, Mama reflects on her relationship with her daughter Dee while waiting for Dee to arrive for a visit. While doing so, she alludes to The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, as seen in the following passage:
Sometimes I dream a dream in which Dee and I are suddenly brought together on a TV program of this sort. Out of a dark and soft-seated limousine I am ushered into a bright room filled with many people. There I meet a smiling, gray, sporty man like Johnny Carson who shakes my hand and tells me what a fine girl I have. Then we are on the stage and Dee is embracing me with tears in her eyes […] My hair glistens in the hot bright lights. Johnny Carson has much to do to keep up with my quick and witty tongue.
Mama describes a dream she has of being reunited with Dee on a TV show hosted by a “smiling, gray, sporty man like Johnny Carson” who “has much to do to keep up with [her] quick and witty tongue." This description alludes to The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, a television show that aired every weeknight from 1962 to 1992 and that featured Carson interviewing a wide range of guests.
Mama’s dream to appear on The Tonight Show alongside Dee hints at Mama’s desire to feel closer to her daughter. She not only wants Carson to tell her “what a fine girl” Dee is, but wants to impress Carson (and, by extension, Dee) with her intelligence and wit. It is notable tha, later in this section of the story, when Mama wakes up from this dream, she concludes that such a dream “is a mistake” and she can’t imagine herself ever “looking a strange white man in the eye.” In this way, she is different from Dee, whose education and confidence makes her unafraid of looking directly at anyone.
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