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Chapter 26
Themes
and Colors
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
Upset from her experiences in town, Cussy Mary hurries home. Thinking about the ladies’ fancy dresses and hairdos at the dance reminds her of an article she saw in one of the library magazines that showed how to make rag curls. She tears up a strip of old fabric, wets it, and dresses her hair. Then dances around the room in the arms of a pretend suitor…until she stubs her toe on the bed.
Despite the discrimination, hatred, and hardship that she faces, Cussy Mary’s human spirit is irrepressible. While she’s internalized people’s low opinion of her skin color, she also understands that she’s valuable. Curling her hair and pretending to dance allows her to demonstrate that value, if only to herself. It also shows the power that books and other library materials to bring the ideas of the wider society to isolated areas.
Active
Themes
Pa returns home at dawn, bloodied and bruised. Yet he feels responsible to continue the union talks, because his fellow miners selected him to be their spokesperson. Suddenly, Cussy Mary wonders if the only reason they picked Pa is that he’s a Blue, and they feel that his life is more expendable than everyone else’s. When she asks Pa if his skin color has anything to do with his union duties, he barks between coughs that it’s because he is “a Kentucky miner, and a damn good one!”
Cussy Mary worries that Pa has been picked for the most dangerous job because he is a Blue, and thus his fellow miners consider him less worthy and more expendable. Her fears aren’t unfounded; Pa’s brother was tricked into being a miner’s sacrifice years ago. Yet, Pa’s essential concern for his fellow miners—a mark of his humanity—means that he’ll fight for them despite the hardship and danger.
Active
Themes
The next morning, Doc takes Cussy Mary back to Lexington. On the way they pass Kentucky horse farms with stables bigger and grander than any person’s house Cussy has ever seen. At the hospital, Cussy shows Doc the knife she brought with her, and she tells him that she will participate in the tests only if she can keep her undergarments on and the black-hearted nuns aren’t involved. Doc agrees, and Cussy presses her advantage to ask him for more food.
Active
Themes
In the Colored Ward, a small Black girl becomes hysterical with fear at the sight of Cussy. Dr. Mills and Doc ask Cussy questions about her family’s habits and medical history. When they ask about her kin, she offers to write out a list of her relatives. Dr. Mills is surprised to discover that she’s literate, and Doc brags that she’s not just literate, she’s one of the Pack Horse librarians. When Dr. Mills asks Cussy to read off a letter chart on the wall, she huffs that she already proved she knows her letters. Doc explains it’s an eye test. The doctors discuss the possibility the Carters have a recently discovered hereditary blood disorder.
Active
Themes
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Dr. Mills wants to keep Cussy in the hospital for observation, and when she and Doc protest, he brags that he doesn’t need their consent. He can claim that she’s a threat to public health and involuntarily quarantine her. Doc erupts in anger, refusing to let Dr. Mills keep Cussy for “[his] interest.” Doc thinks that Mills, as a Black man, should understand what persecution feels like. The two men step into the hall, and Cussy can hear them exchanging heated words. When they return, Dr. Mill’s coat is crumpled, and he’s silent. Doc asks Cussy to give a blood sample that they can test for the hereditary disorder. Impatient to leave, she readily agrees.
Active
Themes
