African American Usage of Magical Realism Magical realism is a literary genre that practically tricks the reader into believing elements of the supernatural. Those writing in this style craft very realistic storylines, characters, and settings using vivid details and a sense of accuracy to convince the reader that the elements in the story are realistic and entirely believable. Subtly and slowly, the writer creeps in elements of the supernatural at a pace that allows the …showed first 75 words of 1641 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1641 total…an outside observer, the reader sees the story unfold and knows Ophelia has been cursed. The reader temporarily believes in Voodism. However, George is a non-believer and has never been exposed to Voodism. Thus, he thinks Mama Day is a crazy old woman when she suggests that Ophelia suffers from anything but an illness (295-6). He reacts disbelievingly, as the reader would had he not been lured into believing through the use of magical realism.