The Glory Field

The Glory Field is about family; each of the six stories is about a different member of the Lewis family, and their role within its history. The concept of family is the principal theme of the narrative. Each of the stories is preceded by an image of the family tree showing where the characters from that story fit within the Lewis family unit. With each generation, members are reminded of how important it is to belong to the Lewis family. They share a strong bond that has seen them face separation, death, slavery and addiction together. As the family grows and changes, the profound connection continues.

In April 1900, the family consecrate the ground where their ancestors are buried. Honoring their dead ancestors shows that the Lewises view their family as a single unit, including those that have gone before: “Lord, bless this precious earth. Bless this ground, and keep it holy in Your sight as it is precious in ours […] Lord, everybody we ever loved is buried here” (78). Throughout the generations, the members of the Lewis family always know the difference between right and wrong. Even if it’s against their will, they always make the right choices. Tommy gave up his dream of attending Johnson City State University so that he could support his family and community: “What had his father said? A real man does what he knows is right, not just what feels good” (253). 

In the sixth and final story, the Lewis family hold a reunion on Curry Island, their homeland, where they work together to harvest the last of the sweet potatoes that will be grown on their land. Malcolm Lewis works with Robert (Planter) Lewis, an older member of the family. While they pick the potatoes together, Planter tells Malcolm many stories from the family’s past, one of which was of the shackles he had purchased at auction, that had been passed down by the Lewis family, from generation to generation. Planter feels close enough to Malcolm that he passes the shackles on to him. Malcolm and his cousin, Shep, learn a lot at the reunion, and become Lewis men: “They were proud of themselves, the Lewis family. Malcolm could see it in the way they walked, and in the way they looked at each other” (302).