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Allusion
Explanation and Analysis—May's Wall:
Knowing that her sensitivity to the world can be overwhelming, August gives May a structured way to handle grief by having her build a “wailing wall.” When Lily asks about the notes she found stuffed into the stone wall in the woods, August makes an allusion to explain why May needs it:
“Mother was good about taking care of her, but when she died, it fell to me and June. We tried for years to get May some help. She saw doctors, but they didn’t have any idea what to do with her except put her away. So June and I came up with this idea of a wailing wall."
"A what kind of wall?"
"Wailing wall," she said again. "Like they have in Jerusalem. The Jewish people go there to mourn. It’s a way for them to deal with their suffering."
The allusion August makes here is to a real religious site in Jerusalem. The Wailing Wall, also called the Western Wall, is the sole remaining section of an ancient Jewish Temple in Jerusalem and remains open as a site of prayer. People write prayers on slips of paper and place them in the cracks of the stones as a way to express grief or devotion. It’s a sacred place where people gather to grieve and pray. By comparing May’s wall to this site, August is trying to explain to Lily that May’s emotional life needs a protected space. The allusion helps Lily understand that this homemade wall is not a random idea. After May’s sister April killed herself, May was psychologically damaged and needed an outlet for the intensity of her reactions to things. The wall in the Boatwrights’ garden gives May a method for survival when her feelings threaten to overwhelm her.
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