Shange uses repetition throughout her narration of Indigo in a way that exudes reflection of the reader. Shange consistently takes the reader on the journey through Indigo’s mind and ends each sequence with “the South in her”. She allows the reader to picture themselves in Indigo’s world, learning from her imagination. When presented with, “the South in her,” the reader gets a pause without the end of a chapter or page, a chance to breathe and reflect. Like a wave building substance in the ocean only to crash onto itself, sprinkling across the sand.
Shange often connects the “south” in Indigo with the spiritual power that Indigo possesses. For instance, the reader is first introduced to the “south” in Indigo while being invited to her imagination as well. Shange describes Indigo’s “companions” and dolls that constantly adjust to her moods and dreams (Shange, 2). Indigo’s mother is the one who mentions “the south in her” first, saying she has “too much south in her” (Shange, 2). After this idea is presented to the reader, the following paragraph begins with the “south in her” through Shange’s narration, opening the way of telling Indigo’s story. From there on, each spiritual moment of Indigo concludes with “The south in her”. Whether it is when Indigo decided that it was “spirit of things that mattered” (Shange, 5), when Shange tells the reader about Indigo’s many “tongues” and “spirits” (Shange, 23) or Indigo and her name and the spirits getting “confused” (Shange, 35).
Shange uses these moments of repetition to place the reader into the mind of Indigo. The reader becomes the spiritual companion in Indigo’s life, the “south” in the reader. Shange incorporates the power of repetition to bring consistency and practice to the reader. It is something that the reader must learn to do as it can not be mastered through one moment in the text.
Discussion questions:
What impact do the journal entries in the novel hold in accordance with Shange’s repetition of spirituality?
How does Indigo’s relationship with music connect to her imagination and the life that she paints for herself?