Alice Walker's "Her Sweet Jerome" and the Myth of Medea

Introduction: Walker's Womanism and Mythological Tradition

Critics have argued that Alice Walker's works demonstrate the creation of a modern American mythology. So much so that her thematic works of modern mythology — riddled with the feminine, not the feminist — have been given a special name: womanism (Colton and Walker 33–44). In the sense that her characters tell enduring stories about universal problems of the human condition, especially the condition of those subjugated by the majority — women and African-Americans — Walker's writing carries the weight of myth. Yet it can also be argued that Walker's thematic representation of character and universal human conflict constitutes a retelling of classic mythological themes. In Walker's short story "Her Sweet Jerome," she presents a modern retelling of the story of Medea.

The Medea Myth and Its Core Narrative

In a clear and basic outline of the two stories, one can see the correlation between the fable of Medea and the narrative within "Her Sweet Jerome." Medea uses the promise of wealth and the sacrificial gift of the Golden Fleece as a way to win Jason, and she passes through all the same stages of loss — Jason's declining interest in her and their family, and ultimately his abandonment of her for political advantage.

In "Her Sweet Jerome," the main character — an older woman of some means — buys herself a younger husband and then becomes jealous of his "mistress," certain he has one since he ignores her. We see her consumed with finding this other woman. The protagonist is a funny, then pathetic, then tragic figure, flailing and raging against a mysterious rival she never understands is not a person at all, but the revolution (Elsley 173).

Loss of Inheritance and Family Connection

The universal story of adultery, some would say — yet the factors that make "Her Sweet Jerome" most like the Medea myth are threefold. First, both Medea and Walker's character lose their inheritance and, in a strong sense, the connection they have with their families when they choose their partners. Both women marry outside of their understood culture, and both respond to the realization that their husband is no longer faithful to them — but instead chooses his own culture over his promise to her — with a homicidal, violent reaction.

Jason was an adventurer on a quest to reclaim his throne in a land far from Medea's home. She accepts his proposal and agrees to help him retrieve the Golden Fleece; in doing so, she forsakes her father and her brother, who will never receive her again:

"[Jason] found means to plead his cause to Medea, daughter of the king. He promised her marriage, and as they stood before the altar of Hecate, called the goddess to witness his oath. Medea yielded, and by her aid, for she was a potent sorceress, he was furnished with a charm, by which he could encounter safely the breath of the fire-breathing bulls and the weapons of the armed men." (Bulfinch 131)

In Walker's work, the woman finds herself attracted to a man outside of her intellect and her culture. He is small; she is large. He is poor and educated while she lives a colorful and brash lifestyle as a successful hairdresser:

"Her trouble started noticeably when she fell in love with a studiously quiet schoolteacher, Mr. Jerome Franklin Washington III, who was ten years younger than her …" (Walker 25)

When her father dies, he proudly leaves his money to the "schoolteacher" to share or not with his wife, "as he had Learnin' enough to see fit." Jerome had "learnin' enough" not to give his wife one cent (Walker 30). She thus loses her inheritance to a man who spends it quickly on something he vaguely describes as "Something very big" (Walker 31). Just as Medea voluntarily relinquishes her patrimony by her choice of partner, so too does Walker's protagonist sacrifice her financial legacy.

Conclusion: The Universality of Ancient Themes

Within these two works is a universal story of the shunned and scorned woman and her revenge upon the injustice of men. The works are also steeped in literary tradition, with deep meaning and messages of feminine grief. Walker's work serves to remind the reader of Medea's tragedy. Her character is proactive, though unprepared for what she finds, just as Medea is unprepared for Jason's treachery. The theme of Walker's work ultimately reminds the reader of the universality of the ancient theme of cultural rifts that can embed themselves fatally within relationships — just as they did in the ancient world.

Works Cited

Bulfinch, Thomas. Bulfinch's Mythology: The Age of Fable; The Age of Chivalry; Legends of Charlemagne. New York: The Modern Library, 1934.

Colton, Catherine A., and Alice Walker. "Chapter 4: Alice Walker's Womanist Magic: The Conjure Woman as Rhetor." Critical Essays on Alice Walker. Ed. Ikenna Dieke. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1999. 33–43.

Dieke, Ikenna, ed. Critical Essays on Alice Walker. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1999.

Elsley, Judy. "Chapter 14: Nothing Can Be Sole or Whole That Has Not Been Rent: Fragmentation in the Quilt and The Color Purple." Critical Essays on Alice Walker. Ed. Ikenna Dieke. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1999. 163–184.

Walker, Alice. In Love and Trouble: Stories of Black Women. New York: Harvest Books, 1973. 24–34.