The Welcome

Alice Walker brought to the mind's eye the view of racism, segregation, cruelty, hostility, and perhaps even the truth that churches spout the love and acceptance of God yet practice little of it. The reader of The Welcome Table is made quickly aware that the old woman in the story is not welcome, wanted, accepted, or even tolerated in this building where people have gathered to worship God. She is instead thrown out, not so ceremoniously, and cast aside. But that did not stop her from seeking her God, seeking her reward, seeking her rest and solace, and in the end that is what she found although it left those who knew her wondering.

This story tells us of an old woman whose hard labor had taken its toll on her body.

"Her elbows were wrinkled and thick, the skin ashen but durable, like the bark of old pines. On her face centuries were folded into the circles around one eye, while around the other, etched and mapped as if for print, ages more threatened again to live." (Clungston, 2010) There was little to no doubt about the type of work she did, it was evident in the way she dressed, walked, looked, and talked. However, there was also speculation based on stereotyping involved as well, misunderstandings of the practices of her people and in some cases, just plain ignorance. We are told that "Many of them saw jungle orgies in an evil place, while others were reminded of riotous anarchists looting and raping in the streets." (Clungston, 2010) And yet none of those things deterred her, she traveled on to the church despite the fact she knew she didn't belong and people would not understand. She kept her eyes affixed to the cross on the steeple and made her way, unsteady as it may have been, to the one place where all should be welcome.

Being unwelcome in the church did not seem to faze the old woman as we can see by the following line: "she did not pay him any attention, just muttered, "Go 'way," in a weak sharp bothered voice, waving his frozen blond hair and eyes from near her face." (Clungston, 2010) She had a goal in mind; she was not affected by the attitudes swirling around her. She was indifferent to the people's opinions of her; she simply wanted to worship her God. She was not "bothered" by the insistence that she leave; she was "bothered" by the blocking of her goal.

The ladies of the church, finally, made her imposition on them very apparent by tossing her out of the church. "Under the old woman's arms they raised their fists, flexed their muscular shoulders, and out she flew through the door, back under the cold blue sky". (Clungston, 2010) And as quickly as they disposed of this unwanted person, they continued on to praise and worship the very author of compassion and grace, the God that created them and the old lady as well. They continued to be ignorant to their