M. C. Higgins, the Great by Virginia Hamilton

First published: 1974

Type of work: Social realism

Themes: Nature, coming-of-age, family, friendship, and social issues

Time of work: The mid-1970’s

Recommended Ages: 10-15

Locale: Southern Ohio, the Cumberland Mountains

Principal Characters:

• M. C. Higgins, a sensitive, intelligent, adventuresome, and caring teenager
• Banina Higgins, M. C.’s mother, a gentle and loving woman, who comforts and sustains her family with singing and the ability to understand each child’s special needs
• Jones Higgins, M. C.’s father, a stern, loving man, who wants to imbue his children with pride in their heritage and family traditions
• Ben Killburn, a quiet, gentle boy, who belongs to an outcast family
• Lurhetta Outlaw, a young adult, who is pleasant, independent, and a risk-taker
• James K. (The Dude) Lewis, a sophisticated realist, who holds the possibility of fame and fortune for the Higgins family

The Story

M. C. Higgins, the Great, in its plot, themes, and style, suggests a coming-of-age novel. In this intricately woven tale, M. C. Higgins, the protagonist, encounters many

of the problems that confront adolescents: He is concerned about the safety of his family; he wants to expand his horizons beyond the boundaries of Sarah’s Mountain; he wants to achieve and have some influence in the world; and he wants to be happy and safe.

When the story begins, M. C. emerges from his home on Sarah’s Mountain and surveys his surroundings with awe and pleasure. Soon, however, the reader discovers that years of strip mining have caused irreparable damage. M. C. lives with the fear that the rubble from the mining will engulf and kill his family. Sarah’s Mountain has a positive aspect along with the aura of danger. M. C.’s ancestors bequeathed to each succeeding generation the tale of the first ancestor’s escape to the mountain from slavery. The Sarah’s Mountain in these oral tales is benevolent and symbolic of the liberation from slavery. The opposing realities and images of Sarah’s Mountain cause

conflict between Jones and M. C., which symbolizes M. C.’s progression from dependent child to independent teenager.

The reader becomes aware of the sights, sounds, smells, and rhythms of M. C.’s life as he completes his daily routine of walks in the woods, swims in the river, interactions with family and friends, and solitary sessions sitting atop his flagpole. Sitting there, alone, he can perform his babysitting chores; he watches Macie Pearl, Lennie, and Harper as they play. He thinks, worries, and dreams about his life in this place of solace. M. C. also becomes a watcher atop the flagpole; he is a lookout who spies strangers as they climb the mountain and enter the community.

The lush flora of the mountains provides a refuge for M. C. In the woods, he is independent, adept, and decisive. The woods provide him with the encouragement he needs to break community mores by entering into a friendship with Ben Killburn, an outcast. This friendship represents M. C.’s first search for independence. Ben possesses many qualities that are similar to M. C.’s: He is knowledgeable of plants and animals; his physical prowess matches M. C.’s; and he, too, is quite capable of surviving in the woods.

Other outsiders influence M. C.’s life and help initiate his season of change. The arrival of Lurhetta Outlaw is M. C.’s first experience with love. He and Lurhetta engage in a brief scuffle when they happen upon each other in the woods. M. C. is intrigued with Lurhetta because she represents freedom, adventure, and the world beyond the mountain. M. C. is determined to prove to Lurhetta that he has qualities that should appeal to her. M. C.’s interactions with Lurhetta are frustrating and pleasant. She engenders within him the belief that an individual can leave the comfortable protection of family and community and still survive.

Unlike Lurhetta’s sojourn on the mountain, the arrival of James K. Lewis, The Dude, portends the chance for the family to leave the dangerous mountain. The Dude entices M. C. with the promise that Banina might garner fame and fortune if her voice is as good as her family thinks. Banina’s voice and songs capture the essence of her ancestors’ hopes and dreams, their happiness and pain, and their love and determination. They are as wonderful and haunting as the family related. Banina, however, is content with her life; she does not want fame and fortune. M. C.’s hopes are dashed and he must devise other solutions to his family’s problems.

Finally, M. C. realizes after talks with Banina and Jones that he must remain an integral part of his family. He decides to share and affirm their heritage and dreams as well as endure their setbacks. Later, the advent of adulthood will herald the time when he can leave the mountain. Until then, M. C. promises himself that he will remain with the family and seek solutions to the problems they face. He devises one solution which involves action; he initiates the building of a retaining wall with rocks and debris. Jones, understanding M. C.’s need for safety, contributes to M. C.’s wall in an unexpected and unselfish manner: He gives M. C. the gravestone from Great-grandmother Sarah’s grave. This action by Jones maintains the continued protection of Sarah’s descendants, reconciles Jones and M. C., and affirms their bond as father and son. M. C. demonstrates his acceptance of the possible destruction of Sarah’s Mountain, the need to help protect his family, and his commitment to his family.

Context

M. C. Higgins, the Great is one of Hamilton’s most honored and critically acclaimed children’s books. Hamilton’s characters, unique use of language, vivid imagery, and settings challenge readers’ expectations and force readers to assume a more critical stance. Her artistic and social visions enable her to reinterpret traditional form and content. These reinterpretations are evident in The Planet of Junior Brown (1971), the Justice Trilogy (1978, 1980, 1981), Anthony Burns (1988), and Paul Robeson: The Life and Times of a Free Black Man (1974). Notably, her works focus on various segments of African-American experiences. She has captured various themes in these works that are specific to that experience; these works also address universal themes.

Critical response to Hamilton’s work is favorable. Many admire her ability to redefine expectations for genre, characters, language, and style. She imbues language with an orality that mesmerizes. Her characters are sometimes quirky, but mainly believable and irrepressible. Critics note that her works are not dummied down or simplistic; they are intricate and require that the reader think as he or she reads. They touch the heart as well.

Hamilton’s achievements are outstanding. She is one of the most honored writers for children today. She is the first African-American author to win the Newbery Medal. Additionally, she is the first author to win the Newbery Medal, National Book Award, and the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award for the same book: M. C. Higgins, the Great. Hamilton’s continuing legacy is her ability to depict African-American culture in an authentic manner, her elevation of writing for children to new levels of literary excellence, and the creation of works that present children and teenagers as multifaceted individuals.

Bibliography

Giovanni, Nikki. Review of M. C. Higgins, the Great. The New York Times Book Review, September 22, 1974, 8. Summarizes the plot in a breezy style and then settles down to an analysis of Hamilton’s appeal, which the reviewer attributes to her realism, her characterization, and her uniting “the forces of hope with the forces of dreams.” A brief but perceptive article.

Hamilton, Virginia. “The Mind of a Novel: The Heart of the Book.” Children’s Literature Association Quarterly 8 (Winter, 1983): 10-14. Discusses novels published after M. C. Higgins, the Great, emphasizing persistent themes in all of Hamilton’s works, such as the importance of place and family. Explains her use of language, nonverbal communication, and dialect. A lengthy section on the importance of Africa in her thought and fiction is especially valuable.

Hamilton, Virginia. “Writing the Source: In Other Words.” The Horn Book Magazine 14 (December, 1978): 609-619. Comments on the genesis of her works, emphasizing the importance of the revision process, where Hamilton believes she is at her most creative. Also discusses the various genres that appeal to her, and makes some interesting observations about her works’ relationship to black literature in general.

Scholl, Kathleen. “Black Traditions in M. C. Higgins, the Great.” Language Arts 17 (April, 1980): 420-424. Drawing on scholarly sources, this essay traces in detail the use of folklore, song, and myth in Hamilton’s novel. The author’s explanation of the setting in which folklore is shared and transmitted is particularly enlightening.

Vassallo, Carol. “A Miscellany: M. C. Higgins, the Great.” Children’s Literature: Annual of the Modern Language Association Seminar on Children’s Literature and the Children’s Literature Association 4 (1975): 194-195. Points out many excellences in the novel. Argues that the pole has several symbolic uses, including, in its swaying, a movement through time into the past, which is consistent with the fact that its base is sunk into the family graves. An interesting analysis.