Summary and Analysis of Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Study Aids, Book Notes, Social Science, Poverty & Homelessness, Biography & Autobiography, Personal Memoirs
ISBN: 9781683784845
Google: bIAEDQAAQBAJ
Publisher: Instaread
Published: 2016-09-11T04:02:49+00:00

Cast of Characters

Bev Blanton: Vance’s mother, a source of constant sadness and anxiety for him growing up, as she struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, and dated and married numerous men. Despite her inability to mother Vance and his sister, she did instill the importance of academics and the acceptance of all types of people.

Mamaw Blanton: Vance’s grandmother, a hillbilly from Jackson, Kentucky, who moved to Middletown, Ohio, as a young married teenager. Although she wasn’t a great mother, she becomes an amazing grandmother and the matriarch of Vance’s family. More of a mother to him than his own, and despite her unrefined ways, she teaches Vance to strive for a better life.

Papaw Blanton: Vance’s grandfather, also a hillbilly from Jackson, Kentucky, who, as a teenager, takes a job in Middletown, Ohio, with Armco Steel Company. He moves his family out of Appalachia to a life of better financial opportunity. Despite being an alcoholic for many years, he cleans up and becomes an integral figure in Vance’s life, encouraging him and providing a stable home.

Dan Bowman: Vance’s birth father who relinquished his parental rights when Vance was 6. Vance reunites with him at age 11, lives with him for a time, and discovers that he’s actually a good man and, through religion, has come to live a peaceful life with his wife and children.

Amy Chua: His professor and mentor at Yale Law School, and the woman notoriously known as “The Tiger Mother.” She authored The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, who espouses the Chinese propensity to push your kids hard in order for them to achieve success.

Lindsay: Vance’s half-sister and the person to whom he was the closest growing up. Lindsay often stood in as a maternal figure, and the two of them coped together with the traumas in their life. Lindsay is responsible and an unwavering source of strength for Vance.

Aunt Lori, a.k.a. “Aunt Wee”: Vance’s mother’s sister and a source of comfort for Vance. Though she suffered an abusive marriage, she was able to turn her life around, and lived a good, clean life. After Mamaw’s death, she becomes the family’s matriarch.

Usha: Vance’s girlfriend and eventual wife, whom he meets at Yale Law School. Usha is both intelligent and loyal, and comes from a happy, intact family. Through her patience and support, Vance learns how to interact with people in a higher social class and, more importantly, how to sustain a healthy relationship.

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