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Papaw
J.D.’s mother, and the daughter of Mamaw and Papaw. J.D. writes that, unlike her brother Jimmy and her sister Lori, Bev succumbed to the statistical odds of growing up in an unstable home that modeled a cycle of substance abuse and domestic violence. In adulthood, Bev found herself unable to settle down with only one partner, instead constantly rotating through new boyfriends and husbands—father figures who flew in and out of J.D.’s young life. Like Mamaw, Bev is brash, hot-headed, and never willing to back down from a fight. This attitude is compounded by her addictive personality, as she fuels her own fury and instability with various harmful substances. When J.D. was growing up, she used to stay out late drinking, and when Papaw died, she developed a serious dependency on prescription narcotics—a dependency that eventually led her to heroin. As such, she was in and out of rehab throughout the course of Vance’s teenage years, constantly proving herself unworthy of his trust before begging for his forgiveness and help. Although he doesn’t shy away from portraying his mother unfavorably, Vance makes sure to point out Bev’s positive qualities. A former nurse, she is incredibly intelligent and values the importance of education. She was even the salutatorian of her high school class, though she had to postpone a college degree because she gave birth to J.D.’s sister Lindsay shortly after graduating. Despite the fact that she failed to support her children, Vance notes that she did, at least, instill in them the sense that intellectual pursuits are worthwhile.
Bev Vance Quotes in Hillbilly Elegy
The Hillbilly Elegy quotes below are all either spoken by Bev Vance or refer to Bev Vance. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 2
Quotes
Within two generations, the transplanted hillbillies had largely caught up to the native population in terms of income and poverty level. Yet their financial success masked their cultural unease, and if my grandparents caught up economically, I wonder if they ever truly assimilated. They always had one foot in the new life and one foot in the old one. They slowly acquired a small number of friends but remained strongly rooted in their Kentucky homeland.
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Chapter 9
Quotes
The problems of our community hit close to home. Mom’s struggles weren’t some isolated incident. They were replicated, replayed, and relived by many of the people who, like us, had moved hundreds of miles in search of a better life. There was no end in sight. Mamaw had thought she escaped the poverty of the hills, but the poverty—emotional, if not financial—had followed her.
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Chapter 14
Quotes
In my own head, I was better than my past. I was strong. I left town as soon as I could, served my country in the Marines, excelled at Ohio State, and made it to the country’s top law school. I had no demons, no character flaws, no problems. But that just wasn’t true. The things I wanted most in the entire world—a happy partner and a happy home—required constant mental focus. My self-image was bitterness masquerading as arrogance. A few weeks into my second year of law school, I hadn’t spoken to Mom in many months, longer than at any point in my life. I realized that of all the emotions I felt toward my mother—love, pity, forgiveness, anger, hatred, and dozens of others—I had never tried sympathy. I had never tried to understand my mom.
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Bev Vance Quotes in Hillbilly Elegy
The Hillbilly Elegy quotes below are all either spoken by Bev Vance or refer to Bev Vance. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 2
Quotes
Within two generations, the transplanted hillbillies had largely caught up to the native population in terms of income and poverty level. Yet their financial success masked their cultural unease, and if my grandparents caught up economically, I wonder if they ever truly assimilated. They always had one foot in the new life and one foot in the old one. They slowly acquired a small number of friends but remained strongly rooted in their Kentucky homeland.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 9
Quotes
The problems of our community hit close to home. Mom’s struggles weren’t some isolated incident. They were replicated, replayed, and relived by many of the people who, like us, had moved hundreds of miles in search of a better life. There was no end in sight. Mamaw had thought she escaped the poverty of the hills, but the poverty—emotional, if not financial—had followed her.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 14
Quotes
In my own head, I was better than my past. I was strong. I left town as soon as I could, served my country in the Marines, excelled at Ohio State, and made it to the country’s top law school. I had no demons, no character flaws, no problems. But that just wasn’t true. The things I wanted most in the entire world—a happy partner and a happy home—required constant mental focus. My self-image was bitterness masquerading as arrogance. A few weeks into my second year of law school, I hadn’t spoken to Mom in many months, longer than at any point in my life. I realized that of all the emotions I felt toward my mother—love, pity, forgiveness, anger, hatred, and dozens of others—I had never tried sympathy. I had never tried to understand my mom.
Related Characters:
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