An old woman who makes her grandchildren Micaela, Junior, and Keeks wait outside while she goes to church (in “Mericans”). Inside, she prays for all of her family members who aren’t pious enough, taking the burden upon herself to save their souls. The awful grandmother is very strict, and when Micaela comes inside to escape her brothers, she tells the young girl to go back outside unless she can sit still and properly pray.
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The Awful Grandmother Character Timeline in Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories
The timeline below shows where the character The Awful Grandmother appears in Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Mericans
Young Micaela describes waiting with her brothers—Junior and Keeks—for their “awful grandmother” to emerge from inside a church, where the old woman is lighting votive candles, blessing...
(full context)
...like incense, and Micaela wonders why holy water smells like tears. She stares at her grandmother beside her, who’s praying for a family member to recover from the worm. The prayer...
(full context)