At a wake for the town’s dead children, Rue discovered Bean alive in his coffin. From her hiding place, she witnessed Varina’s suitor raping her. When they were teenagers, Varina forced Rue to hide during a party, so that Rue would not miss the entertainment. Rue poisoned Bean, worried that the townspeople would turn against him if he remained healthy while the other children suffered, but this strategy was too effective and he died. Rue kept her hidden in the rectory adjoining the church, telling her that the war was ongoing and that she was in danger. In Part Three, we learn that Varina was still alive. When Rue was a child, May Belle made a hoodoo doll – part Rue, part Varina – intended to prevent Varina from leaving. Bruh Abel baptized Rue (against her will) along with Bean in the river. They kept this up to prevent white strangers investigating and reclaiming the land. In Part Two, we learn that Rue and the teacher, Ma Doe, had been sending letters in Varina’s name, convincing relatives that she was alive and in charge of the plantation. She was exasperated because Bruh Abel prioritized the spiritual salvation of the babies over their physical health. As babies started falling sick, other members of the community started to distrust Rue.

He claimed that Bean was a product of her evil witchcraft. An old man, Joel, accused her of consorting with haints and the devil. Rue regularly visited the abandoned church on the outskirts of the plantation. As an adult, Rue was angry about the visits of Bruh Abel, a popular preacher. When Rue was a child, she and Varina used to play together, and May Belle punished her because they were too friendly. They believed that their old master and his daughter – Marse Charles and Varina – still occupied the surrounding woods as haints (ghosts). The former slaves believed that May Belle had cursed the plantation before she died, binding all of them to the land and keeping outsiders away. Rue was the healer and midwife, but before the war it was her mother, Miss May Belle, who also dealt in hoodoo curses and charms. His unusual appearance and the sound of his crying were disturbing. In Part One, the community was uneasy because of Bean, the baby son of Sarah and Jonah. Instead of having individual titles, each chapter takes one of the following headings identifying when the action takes place: “Freedomtime,” “Slaverytime,” “Surrender,” “The Ravaging,” “Wartime,” “Promise,” or “Exodus.” Part Five includes two unique headings: “In the Beginning…” and “Gilead.” In some cases, a date follows the heading. The novel has five parts, containing unnumbered chapters. In Conjure Women, Afia Atakora shifts between the antebellum and Reconstruction eras on a Southern plantation, exploring the troubled relationships and dark secrets of its inhabitants as the world changes around them. The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Atakora, Afia.

Conjure women a novel