58 pages • 1 hour read
Kim Michele RichardsonThe Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2019A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Blueness
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussions prejudice.
Cussy Mary sees her blue skin as the defining factor that isolates her from the larger community, notably the people within the town. It is a characteristic that her father sees as dangerous, and he encourages her to get tested by Doc to see if her skin could turn white, as he sees this as safer. Cussy Mary is pleased when her skin becomes white, even though it makes her sick. However, as she realizes that people’s reactions to her remain unchanged no matter what the color of her skin is, she decides to return to her blueness. In this sense, blueness symbolizes difference within the world of the novel. When she believes herself to be the last of the Blues, Cussy Mary wishes she were like everyone else. However, when Honey, the Blue baby, is put in her care, she swears to protect her from the kind of hate she herself has experienced as a result of being different.
Courting Candle
The courting candle symbolizes Cussy Mary’s marital status. Pa sets it out at the beginning of the novel to show that she is open to suitors and to indicate the amount of time they can stay, illustrating his desire to get her married—even if it means she will marry someone she does not love. Though Pa lights it, Cussy Mary extinguishes it, showing that she is unwilling to be married. When Charlie dies, they bury the candle in the yard with him.
In Chapter 43, Pa again sets a new candle out, to Cussy Mary’s dismay. She is now more comfortable stating her opinions and standing up for herself and throws it into the yard. However, at the beginning of the following chapter, Jackson Lovett picks it up; he is the new suitor Pa has in mind for her. Saying that he will need the candle for his daughter, Lovett shows that he is eager to accept Cussy Mary and Honey as his family. He has asked Pa for her hand in marriage six times and proposes to Cussy Mary, who accepts. She no longer needs the courting candle, which initially symbolized her father’s desire to get her married at any cost but has come to show his ability to take her desires into account.
Junia
Junia, the mule, is Cussy Mary’s companion and a symbol of her independence. Once a mistreated animal belonging to Charlie Frazier, the mule belongs to Cussy Mary after his death. She names her after the only female apostle in the Bible. Like Cussy Mary, Junia was mistreated but slowly begins to heal and to trust people again. Junia acts as a bellwether throughout the novel, alerting Cussy Mary when danger (particularly in the form of Pastor Vester Frazier) is around.
Junia has a mind of her own, often taking off before Cussy Mary is ready to leave or refusing to go when Cussy Mary wants her to. This stubbornness and independence parallel Cussy Mary’s. Similarly, Junia is mistrustful of men after her experience with Charlie Frazier, as Cussy Mary is. This lack of trust is apparent in her skittishness around Jackson Lovett. By the end of the book, Junia’s curiosity about and acceptance of Lovett parallel Cussy Mary’s view of him.
Food
The novel is primarily set in the rural Kentucky hills, among a poor community during the Great Depression. Because of this poverty, the people have little to offer to others to show their appreciation. However, food is repeatedly offered in the novel as a token of community. Cussy Mary gives food to the schoolchildren, while Henry gives her a Life Saver to show how much he likes her. Cussy Mary offers food to Timmy, while Queenie gives Cussy Mary a sandwich. Although the characters in the novel (apart from Doc) are not materially wealthy, this willingness to give and take food shows their desire to contribute to the larger community.
