Where the Heart Is

“‘Get your baby a name that means something. A sturdy name. Strong name. Name that’s gonna withstand a lot of bad times. A lot of hurt.’

‘I never thought of that.’

‘I used to be an engraver…trophies, plaques, Cut gravestones, too. You do a thing like that, you thinking about names.’

‘Yeah, I guess you would.’

‘See, the name you pick out is gonna be with your baby when nothing else is. When nobody is. ‘Cause you ain’t always gonna be there.’”

Moses Whitecotton gives Novalee advice on how to name her baby. He does not know that Novalee has just been abandoned by her boyfriend and has nowhere to go. Yet they have a calm, polite conversation that explores Novalee’s timidness and patience with the world. Novalee is accustomed to abandonment and does not expect anyone to help her. However, Moses speaks to her as though he has already decided to become her surrogate father, touching on the theme of Reliability in Fatherhood. Moses and Novalee grow close as the novel progresses, and the roots of this relationship lie in this conversation. At the same time, Novalee remembers Moses’s advice when her daughter is born and chooses the strongest name she can imagine: Americus.

“They were girls with shiny hair and freckles, girls with dimpled wide smiles…their lips too red, their eyes too bright, their faces too young. They were girls who made brownies in home ec, who cut hearts out of red paper for Valentine’s dances. Girls who had their pictures in annuals, who got crowned at homecoming. Girls who ate oatmeal for breakfast with little sisters who borrowed their lipstick and sweaters. Girls who were Novalee’s age…girls who would never be as old as she was.”

Novalee watches a parade in downtown Sequoyah and observes the girls in the marching band. Her observations are conveyed through the eyes of someone who has lived a much different life than these girls. Novalee sees girls who have lived what is considered a normal life, with loving support from parents and siblings. Novalee was never carefree and never had the support of a family. As Novalee watches these girls and feels so much older than them, she reveals an insight into her situation that is very mature for a girl of only seventeen.

“Novalee had seen that look before. On the faces of clerks as they watched welfare mothers count out their food stamps. In the eyes of some teachers when kids lined up for free school lunches. Behind the tight smiles of secretaries who patiently explained that the water couldn’t be turned on again until the bill was paid.”

A nurse judges Novalee as she counts the money Sam Walton gave her. Novalee recognizes the look immediately, feeling the shame that comes with such a facial expression. Letts makes many comments against society for judging people who have not been as lucky as others, especially those who live paycheck to paycheck and struggle to pay their bills. Novalee and Lexie struggle to make their way in the world because they have children at a very young age. This touches on another theme of the novel, Motherhood: Biological and Otherwise, exploring how young motherhood can impact a character’s life, but also how missing out on the support of a mother can leave a young girl struggling when attempting to survive on her own.

“His lungs filled with her smell…soap and milk and roses. He saw her bottom lip quiver with a sudden release of breath and heard the small whimpering sounds she made when she brushed her fingers across her breast. And when her eyelids fluttered, like the heartbeats of baby birds, something tightened in his chest, caught his breath just below the hollow in his throat, and a sound too soft to hear vibrated deep inside him.”

Because the novel is told primarily from Novalee’s point of view, the reader does not much insight into Forney’s thoughts and feelings. However, this is one of the rare moments when the reader sees the overwhelming emotion that Forney feels each time he is close to Novalee. Forney has only known Novalee for a short time at this point, but his affection for her is clear from his actions and from this snapshot into his thoughts and feelings. This moment foreshadows another later in the novel when Forney admits his feelings to Novalee, adding a romantic element to the story.

“She knew then Momma Nell wasn’t coming; knew she and the money were gone. But Novalee had no place to go…and so she waited.”

Novalee is abandoned a second time by her mother, exposing a naivety and innocence that belies the maturity she revealed earlier in the novel. At the same time, Novalee has been abandoned so many times that she is not upset about it; she is merely resigned. Following a pattern, Novalee refuses to tell anyone what happened or to ask for help. Instead, she patiently waits, just like she did when she was abandoned at the Walmart.

“Novalee nodded her head like she understood, but she didn’t. She hadn’t understood much of anything that had happened to her. Like when Sister brought her and Americus to the trailer that first day. Sister had told her if she would just trust the Lord, everything would work out. Novalee had nodded her head then, too, even though she hadn’t really believed it.”

Sister Husband teaches Novalee that God provides for those who wait. This is how Sister Husband explains that she knew Novalee needed a home, and it explains the neighbors coming to Sister Husband’s trailer to provide Novalee and Americus with all the baby supplies they need. Novalee does not have experience with Christianity, but she learns to take comfort from the words in the Bible. This explores the motif of beliefs, and it gives Novalee something positive to believe in as she continues to cling to her superstition about sevens.

“Novalee looked around her at a room filled with books. Books stacked in corners, standing on her dresser, crammed into her headboard, pushed into a bookcase. And in the library, Forney’s library, there were more. More books…more stories…more poems. And suddenly, Novalee knew—knew what she hadn’t known before. She wasn’t who she had been. She would never again be who she was before.”

Novalee did not finish high school. She had such an unstable childhood and was so ready to be on her own that she quit in tenth grade. Meeting Forney changes her life because he brings her a book each night. As a result, Novalee gains new knowledge which changes how she sees the world and how she sees herself. In this way, Novalee realizes she is not the girl who left Tennessee with her ne’er-do-good boyfriend just months before. She credits Forney with this change in herself, and that appears to be the first spark of an affection that will grow as the novel develops.

“And then Novalee saw it, too…saw Certain slip her daughter out of Moses’ arms and into her own…saw him lower his eyes and her turn her face away as if each could not bear to see the sorrow of the other…because the handing over of a child had caused their hearts to break.”

Upon learning that Moses and his wife Certain had a daughter who drowned at the age of three, Novalee’s compassionate heart can envision the scene in the aftermath of the tragedy. In doing so, Novalee understands the odd interaction she noted earlier when Moses handed Americus to Certain. This is part of the characterization of Novalee Nation, a young girl who had every reason to be bitter and angry with the world. Yet Novalee goes out of her way to avoid making herself a burden on other people.

“What was important to her was knowing that at the moment she took a picture, she was seeing something in a way nobody else ever had.”

Novalee develops a fascination with photography and begins photographing anything and everything, including her neighbors, nature, and her friends. She recognizes that taking pictures allows her to see the world in a new way, just like the books Forney brought her. This brings out creativity in Novalee and allows her to develop a talent she might never have discovered if Willy Jack Pickens hadn’t abandoned her at the Walmart.

“‘Seven months,’ she said. ‘Seven.’ And her mouth burned with a bitter taste, the taste of something scorched and dry. She had been hovering over Americus for days trying to get past that seven, then had risked it all for a Christmas tree.”

The number seven comes up again in this chapter when Americus goes missing. Novalee, touching on the motif of beliefs, finds the number seven to be unlucky because many unfortunate things have happened to her in association with the number. As a result, she becomes vigilant whenever the number seven comes into play, such as the day Americus was seven days old, or when Americus was seven weeks old. It seems there is some credence to her fear when Americus goes missing, but the girl is found safe and sound, touching on the idea that for every bad thing that happens to Novalee in connection with a seven, something good also happens.

“‘Said God told ‘em to take her to a church and baptize her. And that’s what they did. They baptized this baby!”

Again, the motif of beliefs comes into play when the cops tell Novalee the Mississippi couple’s motive for kidnapping Americus. While Sister Husband’s religious beliefs are a little more relaxed, this couple felt that Novalee was full of sin for living in Walmart and having a child out of wedlock. For this reason, they forced their beliefs on Americus by baptizing her at a local church before abandoning her in the early hours of the morning on a cold December day. The ridiculousness of this action highlights Novalee’s character again; she could become bitter against religion but continues to be open to Sister Husband’s prayers and occasional preaching.

“‘Well,’ she said, ‘maybe you’d like to know about the boy in the picture. He’s a Sac and Fox Indian and he was running that morning, his last run for a long time. You see, his grandpa had just died, so the boy was giving up something he loves as a tribute to his grandpa. It’s a custom in the boy’s tribe.’”

Novalee wins a photography prize for a picture she took of Benny Goodluck. The description of the event Novalee captured explains what can be seen and the heartbreak behind it. This description of Benny’s grief foreshadows the grief that will emerge in the plot several times. It also reconnects the story to Benny Goodluck, a young boy who is another contrast to Novalee’s experiences as a child, just like the girls in the parade.

“Dark clouds blistered the sky—bubbling, exploding into strange, fierce shapes…clouds moving fast and low, so low Novalee believed she could touch them. And from somewhere above her, she thought she could hear the sound of breath, the sound of old and powerful breathing.”

Letts describes the building storm as an ancient thing breathing, an idea that illustrates the motif of beliefs. It is as though God or Mother Nature was about to unleash their anger on the world. This description foreshadows what comes next: the death of several of Novalee’s neighbors and the death of Sister Husband. There are no sevens attached to the storm, yet something tragic still comes and touches Novalee’s world, exploring the idea that Novalee’s superstition is just a collection of coincidences.

“But those were the bad times, the times when Novalee had to work harder to shut herself down, so when it was over, when they unplugged Sister and let her go, Novalee could gather up Sister’s yellow rayon dress and her Timex watch, put them into a paper sack…and walk away.”

Novalee’s reaction to the loss of Sister Husband is much different from her response to being abandoned by both Willy Jack and Momma Nell. When Novalee was abandoned, she was calm and quiet, able to process what was happening while experiencing only a small emotional reaction to it. As Sister Husband lies dying, however, Novalee struggles to control her emotions as she prepares to handle the actions that must be performed. In this quote, there is a connection between Novalee’s lack of action after being abandoned, and her understanding that action is required in the death of Sister Husband. She has changed since the beginning of the novel, allowing herself to become attached to this woman in a way she hadn’t been attached to Willy Jack or Momma Nell.

“Then Novalee got a pen from her purse,

You’re gonna die. But your name’s not. No. It’s gonna be written in somebody’s Bible…

Placed the Bible in her lap

See, that name has a history. And that history is gonna be there even when you’re not.

and made one more entry.

Thelma Idean Husband, born October 9, 1922 died May 6, 1991

When Novalee finished, she closed the Bible. And that’s when she knew it was time…it was finally time to cry.”

Novalee finds Sister Husband’s Bible and discovers that Sister wrote about Americus’s birth in the book, but Sister never wrote her own birth. Remembering what Sister said about names, she writes Sister’s birth and death dates in the Bible, making sure that no one will ever forget them. It is a touching tribute that shows how closely Novalee has paid attention to Sister’s words and how much she grieves for her friend and surrogate mother. Sister was there for Novalee when no one else was, and her passing again is a situation that could make Novalee angry and bitter. Yet she embraces Sister Husband’s Bible and her teachings, focusing on the future.

“Then one steamy August afternoon it was finished. The house Novalee had only dreamed of was hers.

a home with old quilts and blue china and family pictures in gold frames”

In the beginning of the novel, Novalee dreams of the home she will have once she arrives in California. Those dreams faded when Willy Jack abandoned her, but because of Sister Husband’s thoughtfulness and generosity, Novalee is able to build the house with the insurance money she receives in Sister’s will. While Novalee was convinced that Willy Jack abandoning her was bad luck, it turns out that coming to Sequoyah has brought her everything she ever wanted, even if it took tragedy to give it to her. It is a bittersweet victory showing that the symbol of sevens has two sides.

“‘Then, when she was up in her eighties…eighty-four, eighty-five, her house caught fire. Aunt Effie was at a neighbor’s house when they saw the flames, so she wasn’t in any danger. None at all. But you know what she did? Ran home! Ran into that house on fire to save the pictures of her wedding. Pictures of a bridegroom dead over fifty years.’

‘She died for some pictures,’ Novalee said.

‘No, Aunt Effie died for love. And I guess there’s a lot worse to die for. A lot worse.’”

Moses tells Novalee the story of his Aunt Effie, teaching her the power of photographs. Novalee already understands that photographs can capture raw emotion; when she takes a picture, she captures something in a way no one else has ever seen it. This story underscores how important certain pictures can be to people, but it is also a commentary on the strength of love, even after the death of the person in question.

“‘But Novalee, what am I going to say to Brummett and Pauline when they ask me why this happened to them? What will I say?’

‘Tell them our lives can change with every breath we take. Lord, we both know that. Tell them to let go of what’s gone because men like Roger Briscoe never win. And tell them to hold on like hell to what they’ve got—each other, and a mother who would die for them, and almost did.’”

After tragedy befalls Lexie and her children, she expresses frustration with the way people tend to victimize someone like her. Like Novalee, Lexie is a kind, gentle woman who is also naïve and innocent. These qualities make her far too vulnerable. This is apparent in the number of children Lexie has gotten pregnant with because she believed everything their fathers said to her. In her compassionate desire to find a father for her children, she has let evil into her home. However, Novalee reveals a basic truth she has learned in her life of instability and difficulties. This moment is an emotionally powerful interaction between two characters that briefly explores how they survive tragedy. 

“She had been sure she wouldn’t be accepted, certain she couldn’t be enrolled as a student because she hadn’t even finished the tenth grade. But her enrollment papers had been processed and she had a copy in her purse in case anyone wanted to see it.”

Novalee feels like a fraud when she takes a photography seminar at a local college. She never finished high school, so she worries that people will judge her and not allow her to attend. In truth, the class likely does not require a high school diploma, but Novalee’s self-doubts show how she sees herself as less than other people. This will become an issue when Forney tells Novalee he loves her. She does not feel as though she is good enough for Forney, even though she is a compassionate and caring person who is far more intelligent than she gives herself credit for.

“Novalee would barely remember crossing the room and wrapping him in her arms…but she would never forget his breath against her throat as he murmured her name again and again. And when his lips found the silver scar at the corner of her mouth, she didn’t know that the voice whispering ‘yes’ was her own.”

After seven years of friendship, Novalee and Forney give in to their passion for one another in the aftermath of the death of Forney’s sister. The reader has been aware of Forney’s love for Novalee since the beginning of their relationship, but Novalee’s love has only recently developed; she was reluctant to feel this love because everyone she has loved before abandoned her. Novalee might be easy with her friendship, but the intimacy of a romantic relationship is difficult for her. This moment opens the door to a new future for Novalee, but her doubts in herself will delay that future.

“She knew if she let herself remember, she couldn’t tell him the lie he had to hear.

‘Forney…’

She wouldn’t be able to break his heart…

‘No, Forney. I don’t love you. Not in the way you need to be loved. Not in that way.’

…and she wouldn’t be able to break her own.”

Novalee’s doubts about her self-worth and her high opinion of Forney lead her to lie to him. This is the second of two lies that begin and end the novel—one lie told out of meanness, and one told out of compassion. Novalee thinks she is freeing Forney to live the life he deserves and wants. However, she never stops to ask him what he wants. At the same time, Novalee denies herself the love and happiness she does not think she deserves. Like her feeling of being a fraud when she started her photography seminar, she feels as though she isn’t good enough for Forney, but she has not taken his opinion into account.

“‘Leon had a bright red ’67 Camaro. And Max wanted it. So she traded her daughter for it.’”

Lexie has been searching for a father for her children since her oldest, Brummett, was born. However, each man ended up getting her pregnant and leaving her, until she had five children and was victimized by a man looking. The tragedy Lexie experienced with her eldest children could have made her bitter and ended her search for a good man, but it did not. The man she finally met, Leon Yoder, highlights the theme, Reliability of Fatherhood. Not many men are willing to take on children who are not biologically their own, but Leon Yoder proves to be that kind of man.

“Novalee studied his face for a moment—the face of the ten-year-old boy who had leaned out of a truck and touched her…the face of the boy at twelve, running on a mountain ridge…the face of the teenager who loved rain and hawks and wild plums. Then she leaned across the arm of her chair, leaned toward Benny Goodluck and took his face in her hands and brought it to her own. As their lips met, he closed his eyes, and in the light of the moon and under the branches of the buckeye tree, they kissed. And it was the greatest adventure of his seventeenth year.”

Benny Goodluck is once again a contrast to Novalee’s difficult life. He is seventeen, the same age she was when Americus was conceived and she was abandoned at the Walmart. However, Benny feels as though he has not lived much life and is afraid he never will. Novalee envies him for his simple, happy childhood, while he envies her the adventures she experienced in her short lifetime. Novalee tries to encourage Benny while not revealing her envy, but she does give him one thing he wants: a kiss. Ironically, they kiss under the tree Benny gave her that led Novalee first to Forney, then to this home and Sister Husband.