When I first got to the part about Charlotte's quilt-making in Invention of Wings, the first thing I thought of was the movie "How to Make an American Quilt." Although I haven't actually seen the movie, it has been on my list of movies to watch for a long time, and I was intrigued by the significance of quilting both in Invention of Wings and in this 1995 movie. It is about a group of women who make quilts together, and it explores not only each woman's story as reflected by her quilt but also how the relationships between the women have been affected by the quilting club. As I read the synopsis of the movie, I noticed more similarities between the "How to Make an American Quilt" and Invention of Wings than I thought there would be. I think the most significant aspect that the two share is how the quilt strengthens the relationship between those making the quilt and those featured in the quilt. What I mean by this is that a quilt that depicts scenes from one's life really helps pinpoint what people have truly been the most influential in the quilt-maker's life.
This is why I think that Handful witnessing her mother make her quilt square by square was so important. In a society where names are taken away from slaves and their cultures and backgrounds are destroyed, a slave like Charlotte only has her own memories and her quilt. Transcending the boundaries of the mother-daughter relationship, the quilt allows Handful to see what her mother was really like, the things Charlotte would never tell her. As Handful says as she really looks at her mother's quilt for the first time, "You come from your mauma, and sleep in the bed with her till you're near twenty years grown, and you still don't know what haunches in the dark corners of her" (147). Although Handful might have thought she knew her mother inside and out, knew everything there was to know, she learned things she never could have imagined from the quilt. On the other hand, I also think it takes a great deal of trust and bravery to share the your entire, uncensored life story with someone. Every detail, every important event, is on display. I think that this is why Charlotte let Handful see her quilt at all: because she trusted her daughter, and wanted her to know and learn from everything that had happened in her sad, but inspiring life.
This is why I think that Handful witnessing her mother make her quilt square by square was so important. In a society where names are taken away from slaves and their cultures and backgrounds are destroyed, a slave like Charlotte only has her own memories and her quilt. Transcending the boundaries of the mother-daughter relationship, the quilt allows Handful to see what her mother was really like, the things Charlotte would never tell her. As Handful says as she really looks at her mother's quilt for the first time, "You come from your mauma, and sleep in the bed with her till you're near twenty years grown, and you still don't know what haunches in the dark corners of her" (147). Although Handful might have thought she knew her mother inside and out, knew everything there was to know, she learned things she never could have imagined from the quilt. On the other hand, I also think it takes a great deal of trust and bravery to share the your entire, uncensored life story with someone. Every detail, every important event, is on display. I think that this is why Charlotte let Handful see her quilt at all: because she trusted her daughter, and wanted her to know and learn from everything that had happened in her sad, but inspiring life.