Po Sandy Reflection

Naivety 

If I were to stop a random stranger on the street and tell them about a friend I once knew that was magically turned into a tree in order to remain hidden from the world, it is very unlikely that the stranger would believe anything I said.  This is because as a society we have found an overwhelming amount of evidence that suggests that believing in magic is naive.  In Conjure Women many of the slaves believe in hoodoo, which is essentially magic.  While the slaves are not educated, I don't think that is the reason they believe in hoodoo.  I believe that the reason they are naive to the evidence against hoodoo is hope.  It is true that slaves were not given any formal education, that doesn’t mean that they weren’t capable of rational thought.  Near the end of Po Sandy the narrator says "Are you seriously considering the possibility of a man's being turned into a tree?” in front of Uncle Julius.  Uncle Julius is aware that the idea of a man being turned into a tree is preposterous to most.  Uncle Julius is perpetuating the idea of hoodoo for his own personal gain, but I think he is also doing it to keep the other slaves naive.  The life of slaves is brutal and hellish.  Uncle Julius realizes that anything that can keep there spirits up is worth believing in, even if he knows it isn’t true.  The slaves need hope to carry on, and Uncle Julius is doing them a favor by keeping them naive.  A modern day example of this need for hope can be found in our prison system.  Prisoners with a life sentence are in a very similar situation as slaves, the only big difference is prisoners put themselves in the situation and slaves had no choice.  Many people sentenced to life in prison find solace in religion, much more so then normal citizens.  Prisoners choose to remain naive to the evidence that people outside of prison use to discredit aspects of religion.  This is because it is the one thing that can make there life in prison easier.  This idea of remaining naive for the sake of necessity really struck me in this story.