Christy

Alice Henderson, usually referred to as “Miss Alice” throughout the novel, is a generation older than Christy and the only woman who has sustained success in offering outreach to the mountain communities around the Cove. She is not always a resident in Cutter Gap, as she also has missions in two other Smoky Mountain communities. Whenever present, however, she is always hard at work, visiting families, meeting with women’s groups, and teaching from the Bible to anyone who will listen. Unlike many of the other outsiders, she has been accepted by the mountain folk, who have come to love and respect her.

Miss Alice is a Quaker (a denomination of Christians marked by their emphasis on silence, patience, peace, and seeking the gentle wisdom of the love of God). She is gracious and calm, and everything in her demeanor, from her crown of silver braids to her composure even in the most emotional moments, exudes a quiet dignity. Even her speech is dignified, harkening back to the era of “thee” and “thou.” She commands respect not only for her demeanor but also for her forthrightness. She is never afraid to say necessary truths, even if difficult for the recipient to hear.

Much of Miss Alice’s maturity and perspective comes from her own experience. She grew up in a loving Quaker family but experienced sexual abuse as a teenager by an older man, a traveling spiritual teacher. She became pregnant due to the sexual assault. The Quaker community, rather than sending her away, embraced her and the child, choosing to become an extended family for her in a notable act of kindness and grace. Her daughter grew up into a striking young woman, remarkable both in her aspect and spirit, and she eventually met and married Doctor MacNeill before succumbing to illness a few years later. Miss Alice is thus connected to the mountain community via her familial standing with the doctor, and she has made it her mission to show God’s love to them in the same way that she received it from her Quaker community long ago.

David Grantland is the pastor of the mission church in Cutter Gap. He is young and handsome. He is an outsider like Christy, although somewhat more familiar with the culture of the Cove since he received his posting earlier than her. Nevertheless, he still lacks the deep perspective of Miss Alice or Doctor MacNeill on the local customs. His sister, Ida, also lives at the mission, assisting with domestic duties like cooking and cleaning. David is a seminary graduate, but his ministerial training has focused more on complex matters of exegesis and theological interpretations rather than the simple and practical messages more suited for his audience. Despite his occasional doubts about whether such ministry is a good fit for him, he is deeply committed to helping the people of the Cove (though sometimes his ideas of what should be done run contrary to the local cultural values).

Despite the cross-cultural difficulties, the mountain people often appreciate David’s ministry. While the content of his preaching is less direct and practical than Miss Alice’s teaching, the locals enjoy his intellectualized preaching style, which confirms their suspicions that they have a very good preacher, even if they struggle to understand him. David also has a keen set of musical abilities which is one of the cornerstones of culture and family life in the Cove. He often brings his ukelele with him on pastoral visits to his parishioners’ cabins, and their shared love of music opens many doors for ministry.

For most of the novel, Doctor Neil MacNeill is something of a mystery and only by the end emerges as a love interest for Christy. Seen through Christy’s eyes, he is a capable and caring doctor, but his philosophy toward local society confuses her. While the duties he undertakes show his concern for the people’s welfare, he can also be abrupt in his manner and sometimes even appears indifferent to certain circumstances which Christy regards as tragic errors in need of correction, such as in not working harder to keep new mothers from injuring their babies due to an old superstition. It is eventually revealed, however, that some of Doctor MacNeill’s hesitancy to intervene stems from his broader understanding of the local culture. While Christy is concerned with dealing with the after-effects of deep-seated social values, Doctor MacNeill works in the manner of a triage surgeon: not taking on problems he knows he can’t fix and attending to the most urgent matters of reparable harm instead.

Doctor MacNeill is large and strong with red hair. He grew up in the area, a descendant of the Scottish leader who first brought the people of the Cove over from Scotland. In his youth, he was connected with a group of doctors who came into the area for recreational hunting, and they sponsored his education and training in medicine. He met and married Miss Alice’s daughter and established a practice back in his home area. Not long into their marriage, however, both his wife and his infant son passed away. Partly because of this trauma, Doctor MacNeill is functionally an atheist. While he has given up his own belief in God, he is not outwardly antagonistic to the beliefs of others, beyond feeling that the mission’s work could be better focused on practical assistance than spiritual matters. As he comes to fall in love with Christy, however (who resembles his late wife), some of those old questions of faith are brought back to the forefront of his life.

Fairlight Spencer is one of the mountain women whom Christy gets to know throughout the novel, as she takes an interest in the position and status of the young wives of the Cove. She is one of the first people that Christy meets on her first approach to her new home, though she doesn’t get to know Fairlight well until some time later. Eventually, after expressing an interest in learning how to read and write, she becomes Christy’s best friend in Cutter Gap. Christy tutors her, and she learns rapidly.

The learning goes both ways, however. Fairlight’s friendship opens Christy’s eyes to some of the beautiful features of local culture. She learns the rhythms of work and rest in mountain society and finds a new appreciation for the beauty of nature. Ultimately, Fairlight falls ill with typhoid and passes away, an event that adds to the rising action near the climax of the novel and drives Christy to consider her own life and faith in a new light.