Reclaiming Roots and Reconstructing Selves: Cultural Heritage and Women Identity in Paule Marshall's Praisesong for the Widow and Daughters

AbstractPaule Marshall, a well-known modern black woman novelist, who focuses onexpressing her writings in the black perspectives of women and self-image inmultifaceted.The necessity for African Americans to recover their cultural history isemphasised in her works of literature. All of her artwork reflects her parents’ Barbadianheritage. In this research paper focuses on women identity, effacement, self-embracement andculturalheritagein her select works Praisesong for the Widow andDaughters. In her novelDaughters, she explores Black women’s independence and liberty in the United States and onthe imaginary Caribbean Island of Triunion. The novel provides a realistic and nuancedportrayal of the Mackenzie household and their larger circle of relatives, with the daughter atthe centre of the narrativean intelligent black woman making an existence and profession forherself in New York. Through the journey of Ursa Mackenzie, the main character, the workaddress themes of identity, family dynamics, and resistance to patriarchal dominance. It endswith Ursa’s quest for independence and self-examination. The plot of Praisesong for theWidow then revolves around the reemergence of African Americans’ ancestry. On the Islandof Grenada, middle-income, assimilated Avatara Johnson(Avey) experiences a spiritualresurrection. The essay examines Avey’s journey from self-disclosure to self-awareness.According to Marshall, in order for black African American women to claim their identity,they must acknowledge their origin, community, and past. Her physical trek to Grenada is ajourney of faith to her heritage, to the point that she becomes a cultural heritage transmitter.