86 pages • 2 hours read
J. D. VanceHillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture
Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2016A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Quiz
Reading Check, Multiple Choice & Short Answer Quizzes
Reading Check questions are designed for in-class review on key plot points or for quick verbal or written assessments. Multiple Choice and Short Answer Quizzes create ideal summative assessments, and collectively function to convey a sense of the work’s tone and themes.
Introduction-Chapter 2
Reading Check
1. What is the “coolest thing” Vance has ever done, according to his Introduction?
2. How does Vance ethnically identify?
3. What is the difference between Vance’s “address” and Vance’s “home?”
4. Vance determines that “Jackson, like the Blanton men, is full of ____.” What is the missing word in this quote from Chapter 1?
5. Which two people are the best influences on Vance’s life?
6. What is the real reason Mamaw and Papaw left Jackson, according to their neighbor Bonnie South?
7. How is privacy viewed by families living in Jackson?
8. What is Mamaw’s dream career?
Multiple Choice
1. Why did Vance write his memoir?
A) to provide a guide for people interested in attending an Ivy League school
B) to comment on the woes of growing up in southwest America
C) to share his distaste in the lifestyle of “hillbillies” living in Alabama
D) to inform people of the triumphs and obstacles in his pursuit of the American dream
2. Which of the following words best summarizes Vance’s description of Mamaw and the Blanton men in Chapter 1?
A) compassionate and placid
B) tenacious and loyal
C) humorous and nonchalant
D) ashamed and timid
3. Which of the following phrases best summarizes the content of Chapter 2?
A) a factual account that focuses on statistics and academic arguments
B) a vignette of the relationship between Vance and his mother
C) an illustration of migration patterns from Appalachia, using Papaw and Mamaw’s journey as an example
D) a stream-of-consciousness reaction to the woes of his childhood in Middletown
4. Vance notes at the end of Chapter 2 that “Mamaw and Papaw may have made it out of Kentucky, but they and their children learned the hard way that Route 23 didn’t lead where they hoped.” Which of the following literary terms does Vance use in this quote?
A) metaphor
B) simile
C) personification
D) allusion
Short-Answer Response
Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Vance compares the success of his future to that of others from the “Rust Belt” in Ohio. How does his story differ from the majority of people from his hometown?
2. According to Vance, how do many people in Jackson deal with the effect of poverty on their daily lives? Cite an example that Vance shares to substantiate his argument.
3. Vance illustrates contrasting behaviors between the people living in Ohio and the new Appalachia migrants who migrated for work in the post-WWII era. What is the difference in their behavior?
Chapters 3-4
Reading Check
1. To what does Vance attribute Mamaw’s frequent miscarriages during the 1950s?
2. What is a particularly violent act that Vance describes Mamaw doing after Papaw comes home drunk?
3. What important event for Papaw and his family happens in 1983?
4. Which company is responsible for employing a large majority of Middletown’s residents?
Multiple Choice
1. Based on Vance’s description in Chapter 3, which of the following best describes Mamaw’s attitude towards her husband’s alcoholism?
A) demure and compliant
B) boisterous and disobedient
C) fearful and loyal
D) ashamed and nonchalant
2. In Chapter 4, Vance recalls that, “If Middletown had changed little by the time I was born, the writing was on the wall almost immediately thereafter. It’s easy even for residents to miss it because the change has been gradual—more erosion than mudslide.” What type of literary terms are used in this quote, and what is its effect on the conveyed meaning?
A) He uses a simile to directly compare Middletown to Jackson.
B) He uses an anaphora to emphasize how Jackson was deteriorating.
C) He uses an allusion to geology in order to display his background in science.
D) He uses a metaphor to illustrate the pace of the change.
3. Based on Vance’s description in Chapter 4, to what can Middletown’s demise be attributed?
A) the fading presence of industrial employment opportunities in the “rust belt” region
B) the increased migration into Ohio from non-Midwesterners
C) the rise of welfare programs during the Reagan era
D) the exodus of the young labor force in the early 1990s
Short-Answer Response
Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. During the 1960s, Vance discusses how the erosion of Mamaw and Papaw’s marriage affected their public and private life. Discuss the differences in the ways their marriage was viewed externally and internally.
2. What is ironic about the difference between Mamaw and Papaw’s dreams for their children and the reality of their futures?
3. At the end of Chapter 4, Vance touches on an important merger, which would eventually shape the future of Middletown’s economic prosperity. Who is involved in this merger, and why is it significant?
Chapters 5-6
Reading Check
1. In which childhood moment is Vance the saddest he ever felt?
2. Vance recalls that “Mamaw apparently understood what would take me another twenty years to learn: that social class in America isn’t just about ___.” What is the missing word in this quote from Chapter 5?
3. Over which sport does Vance bond with his mother?
4. What type of activity does Vance’s Mamaw teach him?
5. At which point does Vance say he begins to perform poorly in school?
6. What is one question that Vance always disliked from adults?
7. What is a part of Vance’s childhood that he particularly hates?
8. What does Vance’s rekindled relationship with his biological father support in his life?
Multiple Choice
1. Which of the following descriptions best indicates Vance’s mother’s reaction to his education goals?
A) supportive and caring
B) pejorative and pessimistic
C) amused and cruel
D) confused and nonchalant
2. Which of the following statements best describes the changes in Vance’s mother after they move back to Middletown?
A) She chooses a path of sobriety.
B) She begins to spend more time with Mamaw.
C) She continues to date her third husband after their initial separation, and they remarry.
D) She starts to party with a younger group of friends and date frequently.
3. Which of the following words best describes the relationship between Vance and his mother?
A) disloyal
B) tumultuous
C) spiteful
D) affectionate
4. According to Vance, to what could the transformation in his biological dad’s demeanor be attributed?
A) his new relationship with his wife, Cheryl
B) his choice to become sober
C) his increased involvement in his faith
D) his new employment opportunity, which leads him to California
Short-Answer Response
Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. In Chapter 5, Vance details his family’s general views on engaging in a fight. According to his Mamaw’s advice, when is it appropriate to engage in a fight?
2. In Chapter 5, Vance recounts a particularly traumatic incident with his mother with the involvement of law enforcement. Describe this incident as well as the aftermath.
3. What are Vance's family’s views on religion and spirituality? Describe how these views relate to Vance’s outlook of hard work and perseverance.
4. What juxtaposition does Vance describe with organized religion and church attendance in America in Chapter 6?
Chapters 7-8
Reading Check
1. What tragic event does Vance recall in the beginning of Chapter 7?
2. What is Lindsay’s perspective on her relationship with Papaw?
3. What is the “CAT house?”
4. Who is Ken?
Multiple Choice
1. Which of the following best summarizes the effect of Papaw’s death on Vance’s mother?
A) She becomes reclusive and does not speak to the rest of her family.
B) She immediately leaves Ohio and returns to Jackson.
C) She begins to use drugs more, and eventually loses her job.
D) She chooses to turn away from her drug usage and instead focus on her family.
2. Which of the following best describes why Vance felt trapped during his discussion with the therapist?
A) His mother is forcing him to live with Mamaw instead of her and her new husband.
B) Mamaw said she did not want to raise Vance anymore.
C) Papaw has just passed away, and Mamaw is too sick to care for him.
D) Mamaw and his mother agreed to put Vance up for adoption.
3. In Chapter 8, Vance gives an overview of the various households in which he lives during his early high school years. Which of the following best indicates the mood of this chapter?
A) confusion
B) joyful
C) nostalgic
D) hopeful
Short-Answer Response
Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. In Chapter 7, Vance discusses his relationship with Papaw. What are some of the lessons that he learned from his grandfather?
2. After Papaw’s death, Vance decides he cannot solely rely on his mother or Mamaw anymore. Discuss with whom he found support during this difficult time.
3. In Chapter 8, Vance reflects on a “boring” evening he has with his father’s family at their house. Describe this evening as well as how Vance feels being in this new environment.
Chapters 9-10
Reading Check
1. To what does Vance attribute his loneliness in the beginning of Chapter 9?
2. How is the incident with his mother’s urine sample a turning point in Vance’s living situation?
3. What is Mamaw’s favorite TV show?
4. Who is Ron Selby?
5. For which sports team does Vance try out his senior year of high school?
6. Which university does Vance decide to attend?
7. What is the major lesson that Vance learns in his years after high school, and where does he learn this?
8. How does Vance earn extra money?
Multiple Choice
1. Which of the following adjectives best describes Vance’s mother’s demeanor when she asks him for a urine sample?
A) guilty and remorseful
B) entitled and calculated
C) angry and authoritative
D) ashamed and bewildered
2. In discussing his and Mamaw’s contrasting views on Jackson, Vance writes, “I wanted to escape to Jackson; she wanted to escape from it.” Which of the following literary terms is used in this quote?
A) anaphora
B) resolution
C) parallelism
D) simile
3. Why was the incident with Mamaw and the graphing calculator a defining moment in Vance’s life?
A) Since he is forced to pay for the calculator with his own money, it teaches him responsibility and budgeting.
B) After his mother breaks the calculator in an argument, he decides to leave his mother’s house once and for all.
C) When he steals the calculator from the store, he learns the consequences of disobedient acts and encounters with the law.
D) After Mamaw purchased the calculator for him, he becomes more serious in his engagement with school.
4. How can Mamaw’s political views best be summarized?
A) sympathetic to all classes and races
B) generally frustrated with the workings of the American government system
C) particularly negative towards wealthy and anti-welfare politicians
D) devoid of political opinions of her own
Short-Answer Response
1. In Chapter 9, Vance’s mother asks him for a sample of his urine so she may pass her drug test. Compare Vance’s initial reaction to this request with his reflections after the moment. What does he ultimately decide to do?
2. Discuss Vance’s experience working at Dillman’s grocery store. What does he observe? What conclusion does he come to?
3. After high school, Vance is accepted to a university. Does he decide to go? Why does he make this decision?
4. At the end of Chapter 10, Vance deals with the aftermath of his Mamaw’s death. How does he describe dealing with his grief? What are some of the obstacles in his bereavement process?
Chapters 11-13
Reading Check
1. What is “brain drain?”
2. Where does Vance want to attend after Ohio State University?
3. What is “social mobility?”
4. Who is Usha?
Multiple Choice
1. Which of the following phrases best summarizes Vance’s views on his time at Ohio State University?
A) excited for this change, but overall stressed from the pressure of classes
B) proud to be independent, but ready to graduate and move on to the next steps
C) fearful of relapsing monetarily, but too busy to find employment
D) ashamed of his poor academic performance, but pleased to make the volleyball team
2. Which of the following best exemplifies “social capital” in the job market?
A) applying for dozens of jobs by responding to advertisements with applications
B) working 12-hour days for one year without breaks
C) hoping a friend will put in a good word for you at their place of work
D) learning from your network about the best paths for the next steps
Short-Answer Response
1. In Chapter 11, what are some of the observations from Vance about how Middletown is coping with the Great Recession? How does this speak to Vance’s observations about conservative beliefs in present-day America?
2. In Chapter 12, Vance talks about his years after Ohio State University. Where does he go? How does he feel about his time there? Does he stand out or fit in?
3. What important lesson does Vance learn during the Fall Interview Program Week?
Chapters 14-Conclusion
Reading Check
1. What does the acronym “ACE” mean?
2. Where is Vance at the beginning of Chapter 15?
3. What is an important factor in people’s success, particularly those from his community?
4. In what type of charitable work does Vance participate?
Multiple Choice
1. According to Vance’s experience with marriage and his extended family, what is the key to a successful home for those from the Appalachia background?
A) having a family at an early age
B) marrying someone outside the culture
C) choosing to leave when the arguments become difficult
D) using apologies as a method to bring others’ guards down
2. Which of the following best describes Vance’s belief regarding whether solutions can be found for his community’s problems?
A) skeptical
B) apathetic
C) optimistic
D) pessimistic
3. Which of the following themes best describes the content of Vance’s Conclusion?
A) political propaganda
B) familial support
C) financial worries
D) higher education
Short-Answer Response
1. How do ACEs fit with Vance’s behavior with Usha?
2. Does Vance believe his mother is to blame for her actions? Why or why not?
3. In Chapter 15, Vance references an article that determines the two factors that reduce the possibilities of opportunity. What are these two possibilities?
Quizzes – Answer Key
Introduction-Chapter 2
Reading Check
1. graduated from Yale Law School (Introduction)
2. working class Scots-Irish (Introduction)
3. His address is any of the different places he lived with his mother and sister, while his home is his great-grandmother’s house in Kentucky. (Chapter 1)
4. contradictions (Chapter 1)
5. his Mamaw and Papaw (his grandmother and grandfather) (Chapter 2)
6. Mamaw becomes pregnant with Papaw’s child at the age of 13 (Chapter 2)
7. Privacy is more of a “theory” rather than a “practice.” (Chapter 2)
8. to become a children’s attorney (Chapter 2)
Multiple Choice
Short-Answer Response
1. He is unlike many who grow up in the Rust Belt, some of whom do not finish high school or attend college. (Introduction)
2. According to Vance, many of the “hillbillies” in the Jackson/Appalachia region choose to avoid problems by ignoring them or focusing on other truths. He uses the example of the news story of the “Mountain Dew mouth” and shows that most people in the region meet the segment with “scorn.” (Chapter 1)
3. According to Vance, the Ohioans are generally quieter and do not drink or smoke as much, while the “hillbillies” from Appalachia are louder and have many children. (Chapter 2)
Chapters 3-4
Reading Check
1. Papaw’s frequent drinking and the stress of acclimating to a new environment (Chapter 3)
2. pouring gasoline on him while he slept and lighting him on fire (Chapter 3)
3. Papaw quit drinking. (Chapter 3)
4. Armco steel company (Chapter 4)
Multiple Choice
Short-Answer Response
1. While publicly they maintained their jobs and supported their children in their middle class home, the reality is that Papaw begins to drink and stay out more, while Mamaw begins to hoard and stops cleaning the house. (Chapter 3)
2. The irony is that although they had the material resources to allow their children to achieve the American dream (unlike their previous life in Jackson), their children are negatively affected by the tumultuous home life that comes from their new environment; all three of Mamaw and Papaw’s children struggle in school and have hopes of leaving home early. (Chapter 3)
3. The merger between Armco and Kawasaki (AK Steel) is first met with opposition from local workers; however, it is eventually accepted as a consequence of the increasingly globalized world. Vance recalls that eventually Armco will lose its prominence in the Middletown community, which ultimately affects the children growing up in the town (as in other industrial-dependent communities). (Chapter 4)
Chapters 5-6
Reading Check
1. when he learns his dad is giving him up for adoption (Chapter 5)
2. money (Chapter 5)
3. football (Chapter 5)
4. how to fight (Chapter 5)
5. after Vance moves with his mother and her third husband, Bob, to a farm outside of Middletown (Chapter 5)
6. how many siblings he has (Chapter 6)
7. the “revolving door of father figures” (Chapter 6)
8. a new church and spirituality (Chapter 6)
Multiple Choice
Short-Answer Response
1. Engaging in a fight should only happen when a person has to; however, sometimes fighting is the right thing to do. It is equally important that a person knows how to fight and can stick up for themselves. (Chapter 5)
2. Vance’s mother threatens to kill him and herself. He reports her and she is imprisoned for a short time with a domestic violence misdemeanor. At her trial, he chooses to lie about the threat because he does not want his mother to spend more time in prison. (Chapter 5)
3. Although Christianity is crucial in his family’s life, most family members did not go to church or participate in organized religion. Mamaw is the exception as the most spiritual person in the family. This informs Vance’s outlook that hard work is essential, because underutilized skills equal a waste of his God-given talents. (Chapter 6)
4. While religion still maintains a large presence in people’s daily lives in the region, the statistics of average church attendance is still quite low. (Chapter 6)
Chapters 7-8
Reading Check
1. the death of Papaw (Chapter 7)
2. that she takes advantage of him (Chapter 7)
3. the Cincinnati Center for Addiction Treatment, where Vance’s mother stays (Chapter 7)
4. Vance’s mother’s new husband, whom she marries one week after their first date (Chapter 8)
Multiple Choice
Short-Answer Response
1. His Papaw teaches him that a “lack of knowledge and lack of intelligence are not the same thing” and that “a measure of a man is how he treats the women in his family.” (Chapter 7)
2. Vance and his sister Lindsay work together to maintain a home; this means cooking for themselves and relying on each other for support. (Chapter 7)
3. The evening is “boring” because there are no verbal or physical disagreements; the family eats dinner and watches movies together without any major problems. Vance says he prefers this type of stability and is “attracted” to this home life. (Chapter 8)
Chapters 9-10
Reading Check
1. that his sister Lindsay has married and that he does not live with Mamaw anymore (Chapter 9)
2. because he went to live with Mamaw permanently (Chapter 9)
3. The Sopranos (Chapter 9)
4. He is Vance’s honors Advanced Math teacher junior year. (Chapter 9)
5. golf (Chapter 10)
6. Ohio State University (Chapter 10)
7. He learns in Marine Corps bootcamp that he had underestimated himself. (Chapter 10)
8. playing online poker (Chapter 10)
Multiple Choice
Short-Answer Response
1. In the moment, Vance is angry about helping his mother with the urine test; after Mamaw urges him to help his mother, however, he realizes that Mamaw is right in not losing hope in his mother. Ultimately, he decides to give her his urine so she may pass the test. (Chapter 9)
2. During his job at Dillman’s, Vance notes that he became a “sociologist” in that he observes the purchases of people from different economic tiers. For example, he notices people on food stamps taking advantage of the system, and he concludes that policies which are aimed at supporting working class individuals do not necessarily alleviate their financial problems. (Chapter 9)
3. Vance makes a last minute decision to join the Marines instead of attending Ohio State University because he believes it “would help [him] become the person [he] wanted to be.” (Chapter 10)
4. Vance does not cry immediately; instead, he and his family are forced to deal with the division of the estate, as well as the funerary obligations. He recalls feeling particularly angry when his mother is angry with his emotions, stating that she has more right to grieve because Mamaw was her mother, not his. He finally cries the next day when his car almost flies off the road. (Chapter 10)
Chapters 11-13
Reading Check
1. individuals in pursuit of better educational or employment opportunities leave their home cities and usually do not return back (Chapter 11)
2. law school (Chapter 11)
3. the ability for a person to move between social classes, usually related to economic mobility as well (Chapter 12)
4. his girlfriend from Yale (whom he eventually marries) (Chapter 13)
Multiple Choice
1. Vance attributes much of the cynicism he observes during the years of the Great Recession to of a lack of unity “in the core fabric of American society.” This is made worse with the lack of wages. The American conservative rhetoric is that it is not the people’s actions and choices, but the government’s fault. (Chapter 11)
2. Vance attends Yale Law School. During his time there, he realizes that while he does stand out in his own ways, such as his economic and educational background and Appalachian roots, he is on is the same intellectual level as his peers. Overall, he feels that he is a “cultural alien,” especially as he compares his upbringing with his peers’ backgrounds. (Chapter 12)
3. He learns that there is a system which people from his background usually do not experience: Social capital, such as networking, is crucial to success. Since he already had the academic qualifications, these interviews were more of a “social test.” (Chapter 13)
Chapters 14-Conclusion
Reading Check
1. adverse childhood experiences (Chapter 14)
2. a motel (Chapter 15)
3. familial support (Chapter 15)
4. buying Christmas presents for disadvantaged children (Conclusion)
Multiple Choice
Short-Answer Response
1. ACE refers to traumatic events that occur during childhood which ultimately affect adulthood. For Vance, his responses to disagreements with Usha are similar to his mother’s responses to her partners. (Chapter 14)
2. Vance believes that his mother does deserve a large portion of the blame for her actions; however, he also acknowledges that his mother might have been more sensitive overall compared to others who experienced her difficulties. He uses the example that his mother reacts differently than his siblings when there is fighting in Mamaw and Papaw’s house. (Chapter 14)
3. The prevalence of single parents and income segregation can negatively affect a region’s possibilities in achieving the American dream. (Chapter 15)
