"Roselily" is two stories in one. The first story is about an African American woman, Roselily, who stands before the altar just about to marry an African American Muslim man. She thinks about her past, wonders about the future and is asking herself whether she is making the right decision. It describes how she indecisively stands while pondering if she will live the life she has always dreamed of. The ambiguity here is why Roselily still considers these questions at a moment when she should already have the answers to. The other overall message is about African American women in general, their history and their ongoing search for something better, for fulfillment, because at this time, African Americans are free Americans with equal rights as other Americans. Blacks are no longer slaves, however, are paid slaves in the refinement industry.

"Roselily" is presented to the reader through her thoughts as she lives the middle of her we

Roselily knows that she does not want to stay in the sewing plant and to her existence, if she does not marry, she will have to remain there. She knows that she wants to move on to something better, yet she does not know what better is. She certainly doubts if what she has chosen will be better than what she has experienced in her past. Her asunder personality is like the different groups of blacks in the civil rights movements. They all agreed that their current situation was not acceptable and should not be acceptable, but they did not know how to improve it.

Roselily is willing to leave her past and start a new life with a new man. She has struggled throughout her life searching for a better one, by being with different men, who all have given her a child. As mentioned in the short story, "All these past men in her life have given her a child and now she has the responsibility of taking care of them." However, none have yet given her a new life. There is an urge in Roselily to move on, which is symbolized by the cars described in the short story. "The cars are constantly moving from one place to another," represents, being given freedom and not having the choice of being stuck in a certain place, which you do not want to be. Roselily has desire to move on in her attempts to find a man who will satisfy her wants an

Some common words found in the essay are:
Americans Blacks, Alice Walker, President Throughout, American Muslim, Alice Walker's, African American, Christianity Roselily, African Americans, , short story, african american, start life, sewing plant, independent woman, live life, story seen, one's self,
Approximate Word count = 897
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)