How Green Was My Valley

Huw’s father Gwilym is a man of a different time. By the time Huw is born, Gwilym is already the father of seven children and a pillar of the local community. Huw’s older brothers follow in their father’s footsteps and work in the mines but there is a clear generational difference between how they approach the fight for fair wages. Gwilym shares his sons’ belief in honest remuneration for honest work, but he is more conservative in his approach. For all the radicalness of the contemporary era, influenced by socialism and Marxist ideology, Gwilym sees an advantage in tradition and care. He is not willing to adopt the confrontational and aggressive demeanor of the union and he drives a wedge between himself and his sons by refusing to back their radical agenda. Nevertheless, he welcomes them back into his house and strives to mend his relations with them. His Christian views and his role as a deacon in the local chapel are more telling of his personal ideology than his traditional politics. Gwilym treasures community and morality above all else. He is a staunch, honest man who treasures his family and his way of life.

As the father of so many sons, Gwilym functions as a model of masculinity. Through his interactions with other men and his relationship with his wife, Beth, Gwilym constructs an idea of masculine identity that Huw subconsciously strives to replicate. Gwilym and Beth are a loving couple, even if they disagree often. They are very loyal to each other and their love—though not loud or ostentatious—is never doubted. Similarly, Gwilym is not an outspoken member of the community until such a time that his advice is sought. He is dependable, loyal, and honest, which is why he is raised to a supervisor position. The fellow members of the working-class community trust Gwilym, even when he disagrees with their politics. Huw sees his father as an honest, moral man and Huw strives to be like him whenever he can. Gwilym directly teaches his son that this quiet, moral masculinity is not devoid of violence. When necessary, Gwilym tells his son, he must fight. He must fight for what he believes is right and he must stand up for himself and his family. When Huw attacks Mr. Jonas for his anti-Welsh actions, Gwilym is not furious with his son. He empathizes with Huw’s anger, knowing that his son is simply acting out the lessons he has learned from his father.

Reverend Gruffydd arrives in the Valley at the beginning of the novel. He is a big influence on Huw, and he quickly becomes an important part of the community. At first, Reverend Gruffydd is something of an outsider. He is not a miner, nor is he a working man. He is an educated man who preaches every Sunday in the chapel, providing a moral guidance for the men who spend their days underground. The more time Reverend Gruffydd spends around the miners, the more he sees them suffer at the hands of the owners of the mine, the more radicalized he becomes. Soon, he turns his chapel pulpit into a way to rally the community in solidarity against the owners. He may not be a member of the union, but he offers the striking men his unwavering support. The quiet village priest is radicalized by the suffering of the miners, illustrating how the desperation of their situation can alter the demeanor of a seemingly mild man.

Huw is shocked to learn that Reverend Gruffydd is one of the poorest people in the community. The chapel pays him very little, and he survives thanks to donations from the congregation, either in terms of money in his collection plate or payment in kind in the form of cooked meals from families like the Morgans. Huw is so shocked by the revelation of Reverend Gruffydd’s relative poverty because he has seen the priest giving so much to the community. During the strike, when families struggle to the point of starvation, Reverend Gruffydd no longer receives many donations, and few people can afford to cook for him. Nevertheless, he is tireless in his efforts to source and distribute food and supplies to the people of the community. Rather than his sermons, his selfless charity during the strike provides the community with a template for Christian values. Through his actions, Reverend Gruffydd shows the community—and Huw—what it takes to be a good Christian man.

For his Christian morality, however, Reverend Gruffydd allows himself a moment of temptation. He is nearly 20 years older than Angharad, but he falls in love with her. Reverend Gruffydd knows that the relationship is not feasible, particularly when she has an extant offer of marriage from the wealthy Iestyn Evans. He rejects Angharad, who enters into a miserable marriage with Iestyn. Years later, when Iestyn is away in South Africa, Reverend Gruffydd meets regularly with Angharad. Many people believe that the priest is committing adultery at worst or, at best, acting inappropriately with a married woman. Huw goes to his mentor, Reverend Gruffydd, to speak about the matter. Reverend Gruffydd does not defend himself. He accepts that he has acted immorally. After years of dedication and charity, a consensual relationship between two people deeply in love is enough to ruin the priest’s reputation. He is fired from the chapel and driven out of the community. The nature of Reverend Gruffydd’s departure shows Huw that the town cares more about the appearance of morality than morality itself.