Word: hagar
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Only two sons of Abraham, traveling, idol-smashing Hebrew, became famed? Ishmael and Isaac. Isaac, son of Sarah, Abraham's half-sister by another mother, was the younger. He became the ancestor of the Israelites (of whom the Jews are the professedly sole remnants). Ishmael, born of Hagar, Sarah's Egyptian servant, was the elder. After Sarah's jealousy nagged Abraham into driving Hagar and her Ishmael into the wilderness, Ishmael became an archer, married an Egyptian girl, begot twelve sons who became ancestors of the Nomad tribes around Palestine from whom the Arabians are descended...
...Story. Black Hagar flung the man's body over her shoulder and strode toward the heart of the swamp?"tearing a way through the matted growth with her right hand while she steadied the body with her left. But this position caused her to advance with lowered head, and eyes fixed on the pools of shallow water through which she waded. At first this pleased her, for the little mirrors flung back pictures of sky seen through swaying cypresses, with small white clouds tangled in their branches. But presently she became aware of the reflection of an object that projected...
...toward escape. A great buzzard flapped over her?omen of evil?and when she reached a clearing she could see a cloud of his fellows in waterspout formation pointing like a finger down to the knoll in the swamp. She was betrayed. In an agony of fear and bafflement Hagar of the massive torso and puny wit, surrendered to her fate. But suddenly a beautiful idea dawned: "A nigger killin' heself by what de white folks calls committin' suicide."?"Everybody know nigger nebber kill heself."?"Why dat is?"?" 'Cause nigger ain't worry heself dat much...
...Hagar did "worry heself dat much," slid leaden into the river. Painstakingly her wizened old mother Mamba had trained her to sacrifice everything for her daughter Lissa. And now Hagar had strangled the "woman-chaser," Gilly, strangled him before he could do her Lissa hahm." Mamba was furious, feared the scandal might ruin Lissa's career as a lady and as a singer. Quick in emergency, she packed Lissa off to a friendly parson in "Noo Yo'k;" and ordered Hagar to keep her mout' shet if caught and questioned about the murder. But Hagar knew the prying prosecutor would...
...Significance. The story of two generations of Charleston "waterfront niggers" scheming and suffering to give the third generation a "chance" follows Mamba through naive cajoling relationship with "her white folks" follows Hagar through backsplitting labor in the phosphate mines; ends with Lissa scoring triumph at the opera. The long process is marked off by many a high moment of comedy, tragedy, melodrama. Mamba's "my white folks" play considerable part in the book, but are important and interesting only as protectors to Mamba's daughters. The story loses force by their presence, but is the more valuable as sociology...