Writing 1	Writing 2	Writing 3	Writing 4	Writing 5	Photoshop	Photographs	Multi-media

Women in Appalachian Literature

Appalachian Literature is a genre that always seems to be popular. This popularity is due to multiple reasons, some of which may include the endearing nature of the characters, the beauty of the backdrop against which the novels are set, and the return to old-fashioned values not currently followed. But Appalachian Literature has also gained a reputation for being stereotypical, cliché, and unoriginal. In the essay The Rush to Find an Appalachian Literature, author W.H. Ward argues that this bad reputation is due to the bad characterization of Appalachian women. Ward expresses his beliefs in the following quote:

There is in the fiction a veritable Cult of the Mountain Female, possibly stemming from a perception of the Southern Highlands as a place where a form of the old frontier life goes on and which thus still harbors a favorite mythic American figure, the Pioneer Woman. A potentially powerful character in gifted hands, she is nevertheless only a two-dimensional cliché in those of the vast majority of writers, whether of the Appalachian school or not. On balance, her availability as a type has been more a curse than a blessing to the cause of mountain literature insofar as its proper aesthetic calls for the honest portrayal of human beings; for simply to takeher as found – and to beset her with all the trials necessary for the display of her endurance – is to commit oneself to melodrama. (626)

Ward does make some good points, in that Appalachian literature does seem to be melodramatic at times. Many of the best known works concern stories in which terrible travesties occur one after another, to the extent that the stories could be called unrealistic. However, to say that the majority of Appalachian women are cliché and two-dimensional is taking things too far. Many of these women face trials and problems that are painstakingly difficult to overcome and need to summon up their deepest inner-strength in order to survive.

Life experience has shown that the human spirit is more readily dampened by small everyday challenges than by seemingly insurmountable hurdles. Psychological studies and research have proven that those who go through emotional, physical, or mental trauma or abuse as young children are more prone to develop Multiple Personality Disorder as a way of coping. The same can be said for any person faced with a difficult struggle or problem; if the circumstance demands it, they will emotionally detach themselves from the situation at hand in order to ensure their survival. Therefore, although it may seem melodramatic, the characterization of women in Appalachian literature is actually an honest and accurate portrayal of human life.

The first work in which emotional detachment can be seen is Follow the River by James Alexander Thom. In this book, Mary Draper Ingles is captured by Shawnee Indians in 1755. Pregnant at the time of her capture, Mary delivered the baby by herself with no help from others. While with the Shawnees, she endured long separation from those she loved, as well the difficulties of not knowing anything about the culture or communication. In order to escape, she had to walk hundreds of miles on foot despite bad weather, nakedness, starvation, and near cannibalism. Through all this, she emotionally detached herself as a way of surviving. By far the best example of Mary’s emotional detachment was seen when she left her infant girl behind when she escaped, knowing that both she and the baby were better off that way. This is shown by the following quote:

And so she would leave the baby. She had known, really, for weeks that she would leave it. That was why she had allowed herself recently to think of the baby only as it instead of Bettie Elenor. Mary had been preparing herself for something like this from the moment of the poor creature’s birth on the forest floor. (152)

The above quote shows that, although she loved Bettie Elenor with all her heart, Mary forced herself to detach emotionally from her because she knew there was no way they could both survive on the journey home.

Another example of emotional detachment in Appalachian literature occurs in Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain. In the novel, two of the main characters, Ada Monroe and Inman, fall in love, but are separated by the Civil War. Because Ada’s father died prior to the start of the novel and all other capable men, including Inman, are fighting in the war, Ada is given responsibility for the family farm. Almost immediately, Ada begins changing, leaving behind her “previous life” and learning skills she needs to know in order to survive. In the process, she becomes emotionally detached from Inman. Although Ada would like to think this is not the case, their initial meeting in the woods and the subsequent days on the farm prove it. As much as they love each other, the long separation took a toll on their relationship, and it takes them a few days to get used to each other again. This is very similar to how Will and Mary felt at the end of Follow the River. Both sets of characters had been away from each other so long that when they are reunited they find it difficult to “talk to each other about things close to their souls” (Thom 380).

Another character who experiences emotional detachment is Ruby, also from Cold Mountain. Ruby had never known her mother and her father, Stobrod, was negligent. Ruby told Ada that Stobrod often left her alone for days at a time. The book says that “[f]eeding herself was Ruby’s to do as soon as she was old enough to be held accountable for it, which, in Stobrod’s opinion, fell close after learning to walk. As an infant, Ruby foraged for food in the woods up and down the river at charitable farms” (106). This kind of neglect on the part of a father cannot help but cause emotional detachment on the part of the child.

Another work in which women experience emotional detachment is Fair and Tender Ladies by Lee Smith. The book is an epistolary novel telling the story of Ivy Rowe, and, unlike most novels of its kind, it goes through Ivy’s entire life instead of a small portion of it. Ivy Rowe has ambitions to be a professional writer, and shows “true tallent” for the job (7). Having been accepted into a school in Boston, Ivy was excited about the new opportunities education would give her. But, finding out she is pregnant at seventeen, she does not attend college. Instead, she gives up her dream in order to take care of her daughter.

Emotional detachment is seen all throughout Fair and Tender Ladies, but it is of a different kind than that of the other two novels examined. Ever since she was a young girl, Ivy felt detached from life and reality, and writing is her way of getting in touch with both herself and reality. This is seen many times throughout the novel, even from the very beginning, as shown by the following quote:

Sometimes it seems to me like you are more real than all of my Family, you seem more real to me now than the days that pass. It seems like I can not talk to my Family they is so many of us here in the house in the snow we have to keep the younguns in you can not bath yourself nor nothing and little Danny crys. They is noplace here you can go to get away from him crying, it is only when I am writing you this letter late in the night that I dont hear. (24)

At first, this sense of disengagement from reality, especially at such an early age, seems unwarranted. Were it not for the elementary spelling and grammar mistakes, one would think Ivy was much older than she really is due to the maturity of the content. Indeed, Ivy’s thought process seems well beyond the level of a typical child her age. But further reading shows that this little girl has experienced great trauma. Her sister Silvaney is in a mental institution and her father is very ill, soon to pass away. She is also forced to leave her hometown and move to an unknown city, where she is separated from everyone and everything she knows. The above quote expresses just how important writing is to Ivy. In a strange paradox, writing is Ivy’s way of getting in touch with herself and reality, but it is also her escape.

The emotional detachment Ivy experienced as a child continues to follow her all throughout life and even becomes more prominent. After she finds out about Silvaney’s death, Ivy says the following: “I felt like I was split off from a part of myself all these years, and now it is like that part of me has died” (180). This quote proves that Ivy finds in Silvaney a part of herself, and Silvaney’s death means she will never get that part of herself back. The reason for this strong attachment to Silvaney may be because Ivy feels she can be completely honest with her. Since Silvaney is dead or otherwise separated from Ivy for the entire novel, she will not be able to judge Ivy in any way. Writing to Silvaney is Ivy’s way of getting her past mistakes off her chest, which in turn allows her to hide from the reality of her mistakes for as long as possible.

W.H. Ward’s observation that women in Appalachian literature are all “two-dimensional clichés” is far from the truth. The psychological theory of fight or flight proves that humans will do whatever it takes to ensure their survival, and emotional detachment is one of many fight mechanisms from which to choose. This is not to say that one will purposely choose to emotionally detach, as the decision is often subconscious. Looking at the examples of Follow the River, Cold Mountain, and Fair and Tender Ladies, readers should be able to see that Appalachian woman are not superheros discouraged by nothing, but rather normal women who just do what it takes to survive.

Works Cited

Frazier, Charles. Cold Mountain. New York: Vintage Books, 1998

Smith, Lee. Fair and Tender Ladies. New York: Ballatine Books, 1988

Thom, James Alexander. Follow the River. New York: Ballantine Books, 1981.

Ward, W.H. “The Rush to Find an Appalachian Literature.” Appalachia Inside Out. Vol. 2. Ed. Robert J. Higgs, Ambrose N. Manning, and Jim Wayne Miller. Knoxville: U of Tennessee Press, 1995. 623-628.

Cultural Biography

I had never really thought of myself as privileged until recently. Had you asked me just five years ago if I was privileged, I most likely would have said no. In fact, I may have even said the opposite.

I was born on July 30th, 1985 in Southfield, Michigan. There is nothing particularly unusual about this, except that I was born two and-a-half months early. I weighed only three pounds, two ounces, so the mere fact that I’m alive today is a miracle. I was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at about one and-a-half and got my first walker at age two. I went to physical and occupational therapy from an early age, in order to keep my body strong, and to learn how to do everyday things, such as buttoning buttons and tying shoes, that were difficult for me. I had to wear braces on my legs and I could not often go out in public without someone, most often children, staring at me or asking, “What happened to you?” I could not even attend Kindergarten because none of the schools in my area were accessible and all had stairs. I say all this not to draw attention to myself or throw a pity party, but rather to show you what my life was like and to explain why I did not think of myself as privileged.

My parents are white, middle-class Christians. My Mom is the fourth of seven children and is the best mom I know. My Dad is a brilliant entrepreneur who, at age fifty, has only worked for other people for three years of his life. They raised me in their Christian faith, teaching me to love God and appreciate what I had, which was plenty. I always had good food to eat, a warm house and bed to sleep, and nice clothes to wear. But as a child, all this seemed rather ordinary to me. The people we associated with were just like us: white, middle-class Christians. I did not think of myself as privileged because I didn’t know any other way.

When I was nine, we moved from Michigan to Ohio. At first it was very difficult for me to leave my friends and move to a new state. But I soon adjusted and made new friends. The homeschool group I was part of and the church we attended were great sources of fun for me. I soon fit right in.

But, somewhere around age twelve I hit a snag: I wanted to be normal. I wanted to run and jump just like other kids my age and didn’t understand why I couldn’t. I took every offer of help, however kind it was, as an insult and did not understand why people thought they had to do things for me. I distinctly remember sitting in the bathroom, crying because I did not want my dad to put a handrail in garage. Instead of appreciating the fact that he was trying to help me, I complained and cried because I wanted to do it myself, without assistance.

Well, somehow, I’m not sure how exactly, I came out of that period of my life and began to accept myself. I realized that, even though I didn’t know what it was, God had a purpose for making me the way I am, disability and all. In seventh grade, I began attending a small private school and went there for three years. I loved it! The students were friendly, the classes were challenging, and the teachers made me feel loved and valued.

But soon, my dad’s business no longer provided the financial support we needed and it had to close. Unfortunately, the job possibilities in Ohio were slim to none at the time and we had to move. To Virginia. I felt like my heart had been ripped out of my body. I would rather die than leave the job, school, and friends I loved so dearly to pack up and move to a new state. But it couldn’t be helped.

So, we packed up and moved to Virginia and I’ve never felt so alone in my life. Granted, I did have one friend here, but she was different; she was family. I did not make friends easily this time.

After almost a year, I began to feel normal again. I finally had some very good friends and things were good again.

In 2004, three years after moving to Virginia, we moved into our current house in Downtown Roanoke. It is an old fixer-upper that was built in 1915. This move was a good one for our family because the house is so large it allowed my parents to move the business out of its office and into our home. The move also brought us closer to The Acts 2 Ministry, which is an inner-city ministry where my mom and I volunteered and my sister was on staff. It was through The Acts 2 Ministry that I first began to appreciate just how privileged I am.

I had volunteered at Acts 2 for a short time when we first moved to Virginia, but became discouraged and only worked until the end of the school year. The kids in the after-school program I worked at did not seem to respect me and I didn’t know how to change that. They were from a culture completely different from my own and I did not know how to relate to them. But when my sister went on staff two years later, things changed. My sister knew my gifts and strengths, as well as my weaknesses. She was able to put me in a place where I could be used fully and really get to know the kids. These kids changed my life. They showed that not everyone is like me. These kids did not come from the Christian background I was so used to. They were not white or middle-class. They were black kids from the bad parts of town. They were bright kids who were not doing well in school for reasons way beyond their control. They were kids with behavior problems. They often got evicted from their homes and wondered where their next meal was coming from. They were kids whose friends and older siblings were in detention centers.

These kids opened my eyes to things I had previously only seen on TV. They showed me how privileged I really am. No, my parents are not rich. Yes, I have a disability. But I know that I can go home to find food in the refrigerator. I know I have a bed to sleep in and clothes to wear. I know I will not get evicted from my house. I know I have parents and siblings who love me and will never leave me. I know I have a God who will never forsake me, and I know I can succeed. That is why I am privileged.