Background of the Study
Virginia Esther Hamilton was born, as she said, “on the outer edge of the Great Depression,” on March 12, 1934. The youngest of five children of Kenneth James and Etta Belle Perry Hamilton, Virginia grew up amid a large extended family in Yellow Springs, Ohio. The farmlands of southwestern Ohio had been home to her mother’s family since the late 1850s, when Virginia’s grandfather, Levi Perry, was brought into the state as an infant via the Underground Railroad.
Virginia graduated at the top of her high-school class and received a full scholarship to Antioch College in Yellow Springs. In 1956, she transferred to the Ohio State University in Columbus and majored in literature and creative writing. She moved to New York City in 1958, working as a museum receptionist, cost accountant, and nightclub singer, while she pursued her dream of being a published writer. She studied fiction writing at the New School for Social Research under Hiram Haydn, one of the founders of Atheneum Press.
It was also in New York that Virginia met poet Arnold Adoff. They were married in 1960. Arnold worked as a teacher, and Virginia was able to devote her full attention to writing until her two children came along. In 1969, Virginia and Arnold built their “dream home” in Yellow Springs, on the last remaining acres of the old Hamilton/Perry family farm, and settled into a life of serious literary work and achievement.
In her lifetime, Virginia wrote and published 41 books in multiple genres that spanned picture books and folktales, mysteries and science fiction, realistic novels and biography. Woven into her books is a deep concern with memory, tradition, and generational legacy, especially as they helped define the lives of African Americans. Virginia described her work as “Liberation Literature.” She won every major award in youth literature.
Literature Review
M. C. Higgins, the Great captures the journey of a young man grappling with complex familial loyalties amidst looming environmental threats in the Cumberland Mountains. The protagonist, M. C. Higgins, navigates the tensions between heritage and change, all while pondering the precarious future of his home. The narrative unfolds through an intertwining of past reflections and present challenges, leading M. C. toward a deeper understanding of adulthood.
The World of M. C. Higgins
The story centers around M. C. Higgins, a tall, athletic teenager who resides in the Cumberland Mountains. He is caught between the traditions upheld by his father and the needs of his mother and younger siblings. The looming danger posed by an unstable spoil heap, left behind by careless strip miners, represents the imminent threat to his family’s safety, encapsulating the struggle between past comforts and an uncertain future.
A Day in the Life
The novel begins with M. C.’s typical day-to-day activities, providing a glimpse into his life. He starts the day checking traps for rabbits, a source of sustenance for his family. His best friend, Ben Killburn, shares part of this journey, despite the need for secrecy due to the Kilburns’ reputation for possessing “witchy” powers. Together, the boys explore the woods, savoring their connection to nature. Later, M. C. perches on a pole his father erected as a reward for swimming the Ohio River, from which he vigilantly oversees the younger children when their parents are away. This perch is more than physical; it’s symbolic of his role within the family and his observation of the world.
Intruders in a Changing Landscape
The mountain’s seeming permanence is disrupted by outside forces. James K. Lewis, a stranger with a tape recorder, roams the hills, aiming to capture local music before it fades or is altered by external influences. M. C. watches for Lewis, hopeful that his mother, Banina, whose voice is renowned, might secure a recording contract to facilitate their escape from the impending disaster. Another outsider, Lurhetta Outlaw, introduces new dynamics, sharing an adventure with M. C. and unsettling his friendship with Ben.
Patterns and Disturbances
The narrative distinguishes between the comforting rituals of mountain life and the disruptions challenging these routines. The Higgins family relies on familiar patterns: their father’s lunchtime visits and their mother’s enchanting songs at day’s end. The Killburns, too, have their customs, whether in their gardening practices, vegetarian meals, or healing rituals, fostering a sense of community and continuity among the mountain people.
Confronting Change
Strip mining introduces the most dramatic upheaval, prompting M. C. to consider leaving the mountains. However, his ambition to make Banina a recording star is thwarted by Lewis’s non-commercial intentions and Banina’s belief in music’s intrinsic value over monetary gain. Other changes surface more subtly, such as the evolving relationship between M. C. and his father, where a wrestling match shifts from playful to a serious test of wills, signaling the need to redefine their bond. Visiting the Killburns challenges M. C.’s views on hunting and trapping, confronting him with a moral perspective he hadn’t anticipated, and his budding attraction to Lurhetta introduces new emotional complexities.
Lessons and Uncertainties
As the story concludes, M. C. has grown significantly in understanding both life and himself. Yet his learning journey is filled with questions rather than definitive answers, and compromises rather than clear-cut solutions. The future remains uncertain, but M. C. no longer plans to leave the mountains. Instead, he commits to constructing a retaining wall, a tangible effort to protect his home, though its success remains uncertain.