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Johnson
Mae is a working-class African American woman and is married to Johnson. She works at a different “plant,” also on the night shift, but is apparently less bothered by the work than her husband is. Mae is characterized as a playful and affectionate woman with a sincere love for Johnson. She is, however, perhaps overly superstitious, refusing to leave the house because it is Friday the thirteenth. Ironically, the house proves to be the most dangerous place for her by the story’s conclusion, as in the privacy of their own home Johnson is able to unleash his deep frustration on her. When she inadvertently reminds him of the racism he experienced during the day, he suddenly begins beating her viciously, likely to death. In this way Mae is the real victim of the story, driving home Petry’s suggestion that the most victimized figures in such a racist and sexist system are black women, who often suffer abuse at the hands of their partners.
Mae Quotes in Like a Winding Sheet
The Like a Winding Sheet quotes below are all either spoken by Mae or refer to Mae. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Like a Winding Sheet
Quotes
Mae looked at the twisted sheet and giggled. “Looks like a winding sheet,” she said. “A shroud—” Laughter tangled with her words and she had to pause for a moment before she could continue. “You look like a huckleberry—in a winding sheet—”
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He had to talk persuasively, urging her gently, and it took time. But he couldn’t bring himself to talk to her roughly or threaten to strike her like a lot of men might have done. He wasn’t made that way.
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“Aw, come on and eat,” she said. There was a coaxing note in her voice. “You’re nothing but an old hungry nigger trying to act tough and—” she paused to giggle and then continued, “You—”
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There was the smacking sound of soft flesh being struck by a hard object and it wasn’t until she screamed that he realized he had hit her in the mouth—so hard that the dark red lipstick had blurred and spread over her full lips, reaching up toward the tip of her nose, down toward her chin, out toward her cheeks.
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And he groped for a phrase, a word, something to describe what this thing was like that was happening to him and he thought it was like being enmeshed in a winding sheet—that was it—like a winding sheet. And even as the thought formed in his mind, his hands reached for her face again and yet again.
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Get the entire Like a Winding Sheet LitChart as a printable PDF.
Mae Quotes in Like a Winding Sheet
The Like a Winding Sheet quotes below are all either spoken by Mae or refer to Mae. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Like a Winding Sheet
Quotes
Mae looked at the twisted sheet and giggled. “Looks like a winding sheet,” she said. “A shroud—” Laughter tangled with her words and she had to pause for a moment before she could continue. “You look like a huckleberry—in a winding sheet—”
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
He had to talk persuasively, urging her gently, and it took time. But he couldn’t bring himself to talk to her roughly or threaten to strike her like a lot of men might have done. He wasn’t made that way.
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“Aw, come on and eat,” she said. There was a coaxing note in her voice. “You’re nothing but an old hungry nigger trying to act tough and—” she paused to giggle and then continued, “You—”
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
There was the smacking sound of soft flesh being struck by a hard object and it wasn’t until she screamed that he realized he had hit her in the mouth—so hard that the dark red lipstick had blurred and spread over her full lips, reaching up toward the tip of her nose, down toward her chin, out toward her cheeks.
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Explanation and Analysis:
And he groped for a phrase, a word, something to describe what this thing was like that was happening to him and he thought it was like being enmeshed in a winding sheet—that was it—like a winding sheet. And even as the thought formed in his mind, his hands reached for her face again and yet again.
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