Silent Appalachian

The late Vicki Sigmon Collins taught English at the University of South Carolina Aiken. She won the 2015 University Service Award and the 2016 Excellence in Teaching Award. Her work appeared in MoonShine Review, Kakalak, and The Southern Poetry Anthology: North Carolina. She lived in Graniteville, South Carolina.

• Table of ContentsPrefaceIntroductionPart I. Physical Affliction1. Autistic CharactersChristopher “Stump” Hall • A Land More Kind Than HomeWiley CashJaxon McKenzie • There Are No Words by Mary Calhoun BrownLonnie • Deliverance directed by John BoormanRaymond Babbitt • Rain Man directed by Peter Guber and Jon PetersAunt Jo • Creeker by Linda Scott Rosier2. Characters with Congenital HydrocephalousJuney Hall • On Agate Hill by Lee SmithTermite • Lark and Termite by Jane Anne Phillips3. Characters Afflicted with Dyslalia (Apraxia or Aphasia)Millie Floyd and Frankie and Verdie Pennybacker • Tales of Chinkapin Creek by Jean AyerLonnie Spikes • Icy Sparks by Gwyn Hyman RubioCelestine • Refuge by Dot Jackson4. The MuteHenry and Melvin • Amy directed by Vincent McEveetyHolly • The Waltons directed by Earl HammerMountie ­O’Teale • Christy directed by Tom BlomquistCletus Gentry • Signs in the Blood by Vicki LaneClive • Tragedy in Tin Can Holler by Rozetta MoweryHerbert Mullens and Belton Light • Billy Creekmore by Tracey PorterLeast • The Day of Small Things by Vicki LaneMr. and Mrs. Hawkins • “Hawkins’ Boy” by Charles Dodd WhitePeter • The Good Dream by Donna VanLiere5. Silenced by StrokeRoy Luther • Where the Lilies Bloom by Vera and Bill CleaverGranny Took • On Agate Hill by Lee SmithLouisa Mae Cardinal • Wish You Well by David BaldacciEsther Walton • The Waltons directed by Earl HammerVine’s Cherokee Father • A Parchment of Leaves by Silas HousePart II. Emotional Factors6. Characters Who Display Idioglossia and/or CryptophasiaNell • Nell directed by Michael AptedTwins Frank and Delores • Nightwoods by Charles Frazier7. The Voice of GlossaliaGinny Powell • The Truest Pleasure by Robert MorganThe Primitive Baptist “Dunkers” • Wish You Well by David BaldacciAdam, Blue and the Professor • Sunday’s Silence by Gina B. NahaiJanet Hollar • Tear Down the Mountain: An Appalachian Love Story by Roger Alan SkipperPreacher Clyde Freeman • The Evening Hour by Carter SickelsSarah Beth Childers • Shake Terribly the Earth by Sarah Beth Childers8. A Stuttering SilenceCole Freeman • The Evening Hour by Carter Sickels9. Silenced by Trauma or GriefJane Woodrow (Woody) Carmody • Tomorrow River by Lesley KaganMark and Maggie Underhill • The Hangman’s Beautiful DaughterSharyn McCrumbSally Swanger • Cold Mountain directed by Anthony MinghellaFia Forbes • The Last Sin Eater by Francine RiversVine Sullivan • A Parchment of Leaves by Robert MorganNola Barrett • In a Dark Season by Vicki LaneSpence Hall • On Agate Hill by Lee SmithEvalina, Pan and Other “Guests” • Guests on Earth by Lee SmithNicky and Angela • The Deer Hunter directed by Michael CiminoSam Bledsoe • Christmas Hope by Leslie LynchPip • The Waltons directed by Earl HammerEmma • Breaking the Silence by Diane ChamberlainThe Jesup Family • “Hell and Ohio” by Chris HolbrookAmanda Cardinal • Wish You Well by David Baldacci10. A Sacred SilenceMary and Reverend William Thompson • The Circuit Rider by Corra Mae White HarrisUncle Edward • Tales of Chinkapin Creek by Jean Ayer11. Silenced by FearRose-Johnny • “Rose-Johnny” by Barbara KingsolverWives and Daughters of Coal Miners • Truth Be Told: Perspectives on the Great West Virginia Mine War by Weiss HarrisWalter • The Cove by Ron RashRachel Harmon, Mrs. Galloway and McIntyre • Serena by Ron RashDaleen Leigh • Sister of Silence by Daleen BerryChris Allen • Milton’s Child by Kit ThorntonBea Todd • Appalachian Child: The Chronicles of an Abused Child and Her Journey to Survival by Bea ToddPatience Murphy • The Midwife of Hope River by Patricia HarmanThe MacPherson Family • The Silent Sister by Diane ChamberlainLiz, Bean and Earl • The Silver Star by Jeanette WallsRuby Pickett and Iris Stevens • Secret City by Julia Watts12. The Silence of DeferenceGertie Nevels • The Dollmaker by Harriette Simpson ArnowThe Women • Oral History by Lee SmithJulie Richards • Gap Creek by Robert MorganLonnie Sawyer ­O’Riley • Be Still My Soul by Joanne Bichof13. A Legacy of SilenceEugene Gant • Look Homeward Angel by Thomas WolfeThe Follett Family • A Death in Family by James AgeeThe Stargill Family • The Rosewood Casket by Sharyn McCrumbThe Arnette Family • Pretending to Dance by Diane ChamberlainPart III. Social Hindrances14. Silenced by HardshipThe Women • Spirit of the Mountains by Emma Bell MilesAlmeda, Amos and Jonah • Tales of Chinkapin Creek, Volume IIJane AyerThe Walls Family • The Glass Castle by Jeanette WallsLydia Hawkins • Child of the Mountains by Marilyn Sue Shank15. A Shunning SilenceMary • A Circuit Rider’s Wife by Corra Mae White Harris16. The Silence of Ignorance and PovertyEmma McClure • To Make My Bread by Grace LumpkinTom Powell • The Truest Pleasure by Robert MorganBarle McCorkle • “Mother Yaws” by Tennessee WilliamsRinthy and the Nameless One • Outer Dark by Cormac McCarthyJoe • “The Lost Dog” by Chris HolbrookThe Lamb Family • Bloodroot by Amy GreeneMary Ella • Necessary Lies by Diane ChamberlainIndex

“In this extensive collection of essays, Collins delves into the complex causes of, and reasons for, silent characters from an already silenced region. Her insightful analysis of these voiceless characters in Appalachian literature unveils important metaphors for power and powerlessness in literature and in Appalachian identity as a whole.”—Amanda Rachelle Warren, author of Ritual no.3: For the Exorcism of Ghosts; “The Silent Appalachians gives eloquent voice to a diverse set of non-verbal characters, at the same time bringing the reader to a deeper understanding of the authorial uses of the sounds of silence. Collins’ scholarly study focuses like a high beam flashlight on a small subset of characters, but the peripheral glow of that spotlight is unexpectedly far-reaching and illuminating.”—Vicki Lane, author of The Day of Small Things and the Elizabeth Goodweather Appalachian Mysteries.