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Chapter 12
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Kind, Kindness, and Discrimination
The Power of Books
Hardship and Humanity
Change and Modernization
Autonomy and Interdependence
Summary
Analysis
Junia’s screams—and a shotgun blast—rouse Cussy Mary from a deep sleep. She rushes down from the loft and tries to arm herself, but Pa’s gun is missing. Opening the door, she realizes that he’s in the yard, trying to keep Junia away from a body on the ground. Cussy quiets the mule, then realizes it’s Vester Frazier lying, mule-trampled, on the ground. A collapse temporarily shut the mine down and Pa came home early to find Vester—and his hunting knife—on the ground. Junia must have heard and busted out of her stall to attack him.
In the end, Junia succeeds in protecting Cussy from direct danger by trampling Vester. But this will open the door to yet other kinds of abuse down the road. Although Cussy is proud of her independence, in the end, she still needs the help and protection of others like Junia and Pa. No one can go through life truly alone, as Cussy is learning.
Themes
Cussy Mary tells Pa that Vester has been stalking her, and about their encounter in the woods on her first day back to work. Although they both know that Vester will never leave them alone, Pa insists that they carry him inside and send for Doc because they’re “God-fearing folk,” but Cussy knows he really means they’re “careful folk,” who have to be wary not to run afoul of the white people who hate and fear the Blues.
In stalking and hunting her, Vester has been treating Cussy Mary like an animal rather than a human being. But Cussy and Pa choose to treat him like a human being. In part, this is for self-preservation: they’re already stigmatized and distrusted, and they can’t risk their precarious safety. But it’s a brave demonstration of humanity and kindness in the face of hatred.
Themes
