To be a womanist is to have or express a belief in, or have a respect for women and their talents and abilities beyond the boundaries of race and class. A womanist should not be confused with the term feminist. A feminist is a belief in social, political, and economic equality of the sexes and in some cases a belief in superiority over the opposing gender In the three shorts stories "What Manner of Woman?," "Remembering Miss Alberta: One of Alice's Women," and "A Worn Path" each author describes a character that fits the mold of a womanist. The authors describe the womanist response to stress and especially their demeanor or temperament.
In the first short story "What Manner of Woman?" the author describes how a memory of Mattie Lee Jackson, a womanist, is triggered by a " mundane stimuli- such as a sound, smell, or an image. A womanist has a typical response to any type of stress. Mattie Lee Jackson is described as " a consummate stoic." She makes a three mile round trip hike everyday, and she never complains. Mattie Lee is described as a woman who had the " seeming inability to get exercised, to become angry." Her demeanor and temperament is that of a typical womanist as well. She remains calm regardless of what is going on. Although she stays calm, Mattie Lee is depicted as possessing a humorous side as well. When the author tells about a fight she and a kid got in, Mattie Lee breaks up the fight and asks the two children bluntly, "How many words did y"all pass before y"all fell out?" Mattie Lee Jackson's antique diction makes the kids fall to the ground laughing. These examples show the author's depiction of the essence of a womanist.
In the second short story "Remembering Miss Alberta: One of Alice's Women" the author tells of a special womanist, Miss Alberta. The author tells us that Miss Alberta lives to be 110 years old; she went through many turning points and steps backward for her race.
