The Moving by James Still
"The Moving" by James Still is a poignant narrative that encapsulates the emotional and physical upheaval of a family leaving their home in a coal mining town. Set against the backdrop of economic decline, the story begins with a boy and his mother watching as his father secures their house before they embark on a journey to an uncertain future. The departure is bittersweet, marked by the presence of neighbors who have experienced their own hardships, with mixed reactions to the family's decision to leave. Characters like Sula Basham, a widow, and Hig Sommers, a simple-minded man, embody the community's varied responses to this transition.
As the family prepares to leave, the boy grapples with feelings of homesickness and the pain of leaving behind the only place he has ever known. The narrative highlights themes of loss, resilience, and the struggle for dignity in the face of adversity. The ending evokes a sense of finality and stark reality, with the boy witnessing the destruction of memories and the bittersweet nature of human connection as they drive away. Still's work reflects the social realism of the era, offering insights into the lives of those affected by the decline of the mining industry and the complexities of community ties.
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The Moving by James Still
First published: 1941
Type of plot: Social realism
Time of work: The 1930's
Locale: A coal-mining camp in eastern Kentucky
Principal Characters:
The narrator , a boy leaving Hardstay campFather , a resolute coal minerMother , a plain, good-hearted womanHig Sommers , a dimwitSula Basham , a widow
The Story
A boy and his mother are standing by their loaded wagon while his father is nailing the windows of their house shut and spitting into the keyholes to make the locks turn. The mine has closed for all time, and idle men, their wives, and children—some of whom have stuffed their pockets with rocks—are watching the family leave. Only Hig Sommers, a dimwit who speaks things backward, is saddened by the boy's leaving; and only Sula Basham, a tall widow, walks over to say good-bye to Mother and tell her that she ought to be proud that her husband is not satisfied to rot in Hardstay. The crowd stirs uneasily, and Sill Lovelock, raising his arms like a preacher's, declares that the family is moving to nowhere.
With the key in his hand, Father walks from the house, now shut against their turning back. The boy, looking at the family's empty hull of a house and at the lost town, longs to stay in the place where he was born. Father asks if someone will deliver the key to the commissary, and Hig comes forward, his hands stretched out like a baby's, crying that he will "fotch it." Father explains to Hig that it does not need to be fetched, it needs to be taken. Sill then urges Father to stay in the shelter of the camp; Father replies that he would rather die hunting for work than die of dry rot by staying in Hardstay. Loss Tramble offers to take the key if Father will take Sula along and find her a husband, and Sula announces that, if she wanted to marry, she would have to go outside the camp to find a worthwhile man.
Mother, who has never owned any jewelry, begins to study Sula's locket, looking at it in wonder. Sula, with Loss still teasing her about widowhood, then offers to deliver the key for Father. Loss retreats and Sula turns back to Mother, who has climbed onto the wagon. With the two at an even level, Sula thanks Mother for comforting her when her husband died and says she wants to give her a keepsake.
The family now ready to leave, the boy climbs to the top of the loaded wagon, where, over the heads of the men, he views the whole of the camp. As he sees the shotgun houses and the smoke rising above the burning heaps, he is stricken with the pain of homesickness. Father then starts the mare, who walks right out of the wagon shafts, for a prankster has cleverly unfastened the trace chains. After fixing the harness, Father jumps back onto the wagon and drives away. At once, the boy hears the echo of Sill's final warning, "You're making your bed in Hell!" and sees hanging from Mother's neck Sula's gold locket, "beating her bosom like a heart."
The story ends as the boy glances back and notices the other boys shattering the windows of his home; sees the crowd move away from Sula, who has just knocked down Loss; and beholds Hig, holding up his breeches because his suspenders had just been cut, waving and yelling to the family, "Hello, hello!"