Homeland, and Other Stories by Barbara Kingsolver
"Homeland, and Other Stories" by Barbara Kingsolver is a collection that explores the complexities of human experience through a diverse array of characters and settings. The stories range from the poignant title tale of a woman imparting her Cherokee heritage to her great-granddaughter, to the spirited narrative of a young woman advocating for workers' rights during a mine strike. Kingsolver delves into themes of family, identity, and the struggle against societal norms, as seen in tales like "Rose-Johnny," where a girl defends an outcast in a judgmental community, and "Covered Bridges," which examines a couple's confrontation with mortality and parenthood.
Throughout the collection, Kingsolver's characters navigate challenges like estrangement, poverty, and the search for fulfillment in conventional lives, often reflecting on personal and shared histories. Stories set in varied locales, including a Caribbean convent and rural America, highlight the resilience and empathy of individuals facing life's adversities. Themes of hope and connection are prevalent, illustrated by characters striving to bridge emotional divides, such as a mother and daughter grappling with their relationship. Ultimately, Kingsolver's narratives celebrate the inherent dignity and honor of each character, encouraging readers to reflect on their own lives and the connections that bind us all.
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Homeland, and Other Stories by Barbara Kingsolver
Excerpted from an article in Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition
First published: 1989
Type of work: Short stories
The Work
Homeland, and Other Stories, Kingsolver’s second book, begins with the touching and poetic title story about a woman attempting to pass along her Cherokee beliefs and values to her great-granddaughter while resigned to a vastly changing world. The last story, “Why I’m a Danger to the Public,” tells of a young woman fighting for workers’ rights in a mine strike, with resignation the furthest thing from her mind. “Rose-Johnny” is narrated by a young girl who defends an eccentric outcast in a prejudiced small town. In “Covered Bridges,” a husband comes face-to-face with his wife’s mortality while they are in the process of deciding whether to have children. In “Survival Zones,” a middle-aged and very typical farm wife, Roberta, comes to terms with her predictable life. The joke that she attempts to tell at the beginning but can never get right finally makes sense by the middle of the story. By the end of the story, she sees that her life, though conventional, is comfortable and fulfilling.
The stories cover a range of locales. In “Jump-up Day,” an independent-minded girl is forced to live in a convent in the Caribbean region; in “Blueprints,” a couple moves to the country after ten years of life together in Sacramento, only to find their relationship seriously threatened in the new setting.
Characters in the remaining stories include an estranged, free-spirited mother and daughter who are both pregnant, a woman who visits home for Easter and is unexpectedly haunted by the past, and an ex-convict who tries to live a straight life while those around her gossip, meddle, and steal.
Kingsolver’s characters tolerate poverty, despair, disappointment, and injustice, as they make valiant efforts to understand what has happened to them and live lives according to their insights. Kingsolver’s stories convey hope. In “Islands on the Moon,” Magda never quits trying to connect to her daughter. She tries to explain their estrangement:
“We’re like islands on the moon.”
Her characters pay attention to the people around them, and most exhibit kindness and empathy. In some stories, the main characters learn that they must care for themselves. Every person has honor in a Kingsolver story.
Bibliography
Beattie, Elisabeth L. “Story-Telling Traditions.” Keeneland Magazine, Winter, 2003, 41-44.
Blake, Fanny, and Margaret Forster. “YOU Reading Group: The Poisonwood Bible.” YOU 9 (January, 2000): 77-79.
Cockrell, Amanda. “Luna Moths, Coyotes, Sugar Skulls: The Fiction of Barbara Kingsolver.” The Hollins Critic 38, no. 2 (2001): 1-15.
Eisele, Kimi. “The Where and Why of Literature: A Conversation with Barbara Kingsolver.” You Are Here 2, no. 2 (1999): 10-15.
Flairty, Steve. “Barbara Kingsolver—Kentucky’s ’Polite Firebrand’ Author.” Kentucky Monthly, February, 2002, 12-15.