This links to the land’s importance and how it roots right back to the days of slavery, where racism and the whites’ stance of themselves as superior were in full swing. Although at the present time in the novel, slavery has been abolished, it is clear in the story that the whites resent this eradication and feel the blacks are without doubt inferior, evidence of this is when Mama explains to Cassie that Mr Simms pushed her for bumping accidentally into Lillian Jean because he “thinks” Lillian Jean is “better” than her because “she’s white”. This feeling of superiority amongst whites is further reason as to why Mr Granger does not like the Logans owning what used to be his land during the “slave days”. The reader is made aware also of Harlan Granger’s desperation to re-take ownership of the land, Mama tells the children he has been “worryin’” her about the “land again” – this stresses the land’s value once more.
Family is another theme which is played on throughout the book; the bonds between the Logans are portrayed strongly, giving the reader a sense for how they care so strongly about not only themselves, but their beliefs, which are held together by the land. Despite Papa having to work away at the railroad most of the time – to pay for the “taxes and the mortgage”, it’s clear he’s a strong part of the Logan family, and also a figure of authority and strength. An example of this is when he tells Cassie to remember they won’t “ever lose” their “land”. Evidence of this importance of family is demonstrated by Cassie and Stacey’s shock when Jeremy talks of how he doesn’t “like” his brothers, “R.W. and Melvin”, and Stacey replies saying one “can’t not like” their own family.
When Mama talks of how the boys’ “blood’s in” the “land”, she refers to how Stacey and his brothers’ family bond is like an instinct for them to defend their land, suggesting the land is so important that their very fibres of being are interweaved amongst it.
Money is obviously an important aspect in the story too, as if the Logans don’t have enough to pay taxes and the mortgage; they’re in danger of losing their land, and so effectively losing their freedom too. It is because of the land that the Logans are in a position where they can stand up against racism in the first place. This is demonstrated when the Logans can afford (just) to shop in Vicksburg, instead of at the Wallace store – this is an act of defiance against racism, because the Wallaces are especially racist whites, and so by going out of their way not to shop at their store, they are standing up against them and defying everything that is usual in that racist environment. The reason the Logans can afford to shop elsewhere, comes back down again to the fact that they have land, and so their profit is entirely theirs and land-owning whites like Mr Granger are without the power to take part of their profits. Whereas other share-cropping blacks are forced to give ridiculous amounts of their cotton profit to the land owner, in return for using the land. This is why it is so much harder for those blacks to defy racism. Evidence of this is when Mr Lanier and Mr Avery tell the Logans that through no choice of their own, they can’t afford to have their shopping done at Vicksburg anymore because of threats from Mr Granger and the Wallaces such as being put on the “chain gang” and having to pay their land owner “sixty percent” of the “cotton” instead of “fifty”. So as a result of not owning their own land, these blacks are unable to stand up against the whites through acts such as shopping in Vicksburg. The reader is shown once again how essential land is in the story.
When Mama is sacked from teaching – a result of their disregard for what Harlan Granger considers the “community peace” (but is infact just racist ways of life) – the whole family are aware of the seriousness of its impact. The loss of earnings from one major income, takes the Logans undeniably close to losing the vital land. The land’s importance is demonstrated through the possible solutions the family come up with for this new obstruction – as with so many aspects in the book, they mainly resolve around the land. For example, one idea they came up with was to “plant” more “cotton” – something only possible for land-owners, not only does this put focus on the land again, but also highlights the importance of the land through showing that if the Logans were sharecroppers, they would now be facing huge debts from not being able to make more money by planting more cotton and facing heavy consequences because of this.
Also in connection with the land, is the theme of bravery and determination, both in keeping the land and in challenging racism. Toward the end of the novel the reader is shown a tremendous expression of bravery when we find out that David set his own land on fire (the significance of land by which point has been made unquestionably obvious), in attempt to save TJ’s life.
Another example where the land’s importance is referred to yet again is when Papa is telling Stacey of how he was born “blessed” with “land” of his “own” – proposing that it is literally a blessing to own your own land.
The audience sees a further illustration of the land’s meaning when we are told of how at Great Faith Elementary School, the term times had to be adapted to fit in with times of the year when land required so much attention that the children were needed to help collect the cotton, in order to make as much of a profit as possible, to pay the land owners whose land they use and also their living costs. The audience sees an indication of how land is more important than even children’s education, and how as a result of sharecropping, the families become part of a vicious circle – where land, cotton, profit and debt become so tied up as a result of racism (extortionate land-renting and shopping prices) - that no matter what they do, it is near impossible to ever escape from it.
Papa setting his land on fire demonstrated the significance of land in another way too. Near the end of the book, the reader is described to how a “flood” of “men and women”, black and white alike work “side by side” in an effort to put out the fire which is destroying the land. This shows that land is so important; it can break the barrier of racism so that both races will work together to achieve a goal – something that nothing else seemed able to break.
Also signifying the importance of land yet again, is at the very end of the book when the reader is told how Cassie “cried” for TJ, and “for the land”. Showing that the land is so important to everything, even a nine-year old can comprehend this and cry about it.
Studying the book, quotations and evidence from it, it is clear that land is undoubtedly a theme of great importance, possibly the most so out of all the themes in the book, as everything seems to come down or link in some way to the land – slavery, inequality, money, family, bravery – even racism itself involve the land through some means. It is can safely be assumed, that land is the essence of the story, tying in with all the other factors which Roll Of Thunder, Hear My Cry plays on.
Kelly Nash 10P