48 pages • 1 hour read
Bill Cleaver, Vera CleaverWhere the Lilies Bloom
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1969A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 1-4Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 1 Summary
Told in the first-person point of view by 14-year-old Mary Call Luther, Chapter 1 begins with a memory of the day that a traveler arrived at the family’s doorstep in the valley of Trial. He gestured that he came from the east and west–the slopes of Old Joshua and Sugar Boy–which delighted Mary Call’s sister, Devola. The stranger told Mary Call that the surrounding land is the “fairest of them all” (10), a statement that she has never forgotten. Mary Call considers the area beautiful in the spring when all the flowers bloom, but the winter is an ugly, hard time. She and her family are “mountain people,” situated in the Great Smoky Mountains.
Although she is four years younger than Devola, Mary Call has to explain the world to her sister. Unlike the other Luthers, Devola is “cloudy-headed,” which makes Mary Call feel responsible for her well-being. Some mornings, the two sisters go out to pick witch hazel leaves for money. Devola often looks around at the landscape as if it is the first time she has seen its beauty. They sell the leaves to store owners but do not make much money. When Devola gets distracted–she hates these activities–Mary Call redirects her toward picking leaves.
They often see Kiser Pease, the landowner, on a tractor in his fields. Kiser wants to marry Devola, but their father, Roy Luther, will not allow it. Devola herself is open to the idea, imagining herself taking care of his house and enabling her entire family to live comfortably with her. She also believes that it will solve the family’s problems, like the fact that their father owes Kiser money. Roy Luther is a sharecropper on Kiser’s land and makes very little money. Mary Call chides Devola for entertaining the idea of marrying Kiser. Mary Call emphasizes that he is a superstitious, greedy, and ignorant person. She asserts that their father and other siblings–Romey and Ima Dean–are all happy with their current home even though it is “falling down.” Devola feels empathy for Kiser because he has told her that he is lonely; Mary Call believes it is his own fault because, as he has said, he ran his family away purposefully.
Mary Call not only worries about her sister but also is concerned for their father–whom she refers to as Roy Luther or her “paternal parent”–and other siblings. Roy Luther is seriously ill, and none of the siblings are aware of the harsh reality that awaits them when they grow up. Roy Luther has made Mary Call agree to promises about his death and general responsibilities. When he dies, she will not call the doctor or a preacher, because they are both expensive. The undertaker was difficult to work with when her mother, or “maternal parent,” died four years before from fever. Instead, Roy Luther wants a “simple, homemade burial” on Old Joshua (15), a mountain. Beyond the matter of his death, Roy Luther makes Mary Call promise that she will “take pride in having the name of Luther” (16), keep the family together without accepting charity even if they are in dire straits, and always have Devola by her side. This also means not allowing Devola to marry Kiser; any judge, hearing “how Devola is” (16), will not let the marriage take place anyways.
While Mary Call feels the weight of these responsibilities, unsure of how to follow through with them, Roy Luther mostly sits on the porch, looking out on a beautiful landscape that he cannot appreciate because his sickness has “taken all the caring out of him” (16-17). When she looks at her father, she does not see a strong man but one who has “let things beat him” (17), including Kiser Pease and financial hardships. The family will not inherit anything from Roy Luther but “defeat,” and this angers Mary Call. Sometimes she thinks that she wants Roy Luther to die quickly because she knows that there will be so much she needs to do once he passes to make life livable for her siblings, and she wonders if she is capable of taking care of everything.
As mountain people, they eat simple, plain food and have nothing sweet. All of the siblings eat without complaint. Romey tries to be like a grown man, saying that he never even thinks of anything sweet. Instead, he thinks about how old the mountains are. Mary Call considers the question, ashamed that she cannot answer because she does not have any books; in fact, she has little access to anything, and her ignorance pains her.
Chapter 2 Summary
Roy Luther suffers an attack from his illness. Although he is violently sick, Mary Call does not call the doctor. A doctor has never been inside the Luther house because Roy Luther thinks that “all that doctors know to do is cut” and associates them with death (19). Using local herbs, Devola and Mary Call prepare teas and poultices for their father, while Ima Dean and Romey whisper encouragingly to him.
Mary Call believes that their father will die soon, and she hopes that it happens in the night so that she does not have to comfort and tend to a distraught Ima Dean and Romey at the same time. She knows that she will not be able to show any emotion when their father passes because it will make Ima Dean and Romey feel even worse. Her mind races around as she thinks about the future, but she cannot find any solutions to their predicament.
While Devola watches over their father each day as he recovers, Mary Call collects witch hazel by herself. Ima Dean makes herself a paper doll family and Romey tries to ready himself to become “the man of the family” despite barely being 10 years old (21). After about a week, Roy Luther begins to recover. His body has shrunk significantly, “lost” in the once too-small bed.
Romey informs Mary Call that he thinks something is wrong with Kiser Pease because his chimney has not been smoking during the last few days. After dinner, Mary Call and Romey set out to collect some lamb’s-quarters (a plant) on Kiser’s land. While scavenging, they talk about their father’s impending death and what it might mean for the family. Romey addresses the issue of Kiser; Kiser may kick the family off their land once Roy Luther passes, and the man is too old for Devola. He is almost 40 and Devola is 18.
Rain begins to fall, and they run to Kiser’s house for shelter. The windows are open and the lights are all off. They find Kiser on the couch, delirious and sick with pneumonia. They hurry to make him more comfortable, causing Mary Call to reflect on “how fragile life is and how much of everything it takes to sustain it” (26).
Kiser stirs and mistakes Mary Call for his sister whom he denounced. Mary Call can see his brown teeth; she thinks about how the Luthers all have clean, healthy teeth due to their homemade toothbrushes and paste. Romey asks Mary Call many questions about the state of Kiser’s health and mentions that Kiser has a ton of food in his basement. Mary Call tries to think about what to do. In his sick state, Kiser for the first time looks “strangely sincere” (27). Mary Call decides that they need to help him, recruiting Romey to inform Ima Dean and Devola about the situation while Mary Call cooks up onions for a certain “treatment.” All of the siblings help to get Kiser into the bathtub. They cover him in hot onions, causing him to sweat and regain lucidity; he no longer mistakes Mary Call for his sister.
Knowing that Kiser is still fragile and needs care, Mary Call threatens to leave unless Kiser signs off on the Luther house and the land, giving the family ownership and rights. Kiser signs the document, and the Luthers are no longer “farm tenants” but are land and farm owners. Mary Call promises herself that she will not let Kiser renege on the deal; she will not be like her weak father. They take some special food items from his basement when they depart for home, but they leave a paper receipt so that they can repay Kiser in the future.
Chapter 3 Summary
Slowly Roy Luther gets better, able to eat Devola’s chicken noodle soup. Mary Call doesn’t want to take the five mile trek to the General Store to get Devola a new razor for their father’s hair because she wants to be around when Kiser Pease comes by; she wants to talk about their settlement. Since that night, Romey has changed, no longer so carefree. He worries about money and the family’s future, including how they will work the land without Kiser’s tractor and other materials. Winter is coming, meaning that they cannot harvest and produce goods. Mary Call assures Romey that she has a “little knot of an idea” that she is not able to access (39), but she knows that with time it will reveal itself.
She remembers how the idea was formed and lost itself. One misty night, she rose from her bed and saw a figure outside. When she called out her sister’s name, the shape disintegrated. Inspired, she began to read her mother’s A Guide to Wildcrafting, a book about medicinal Appalachian herbs that are coveted by major drug companies.
That same morning, Kiser comes to the house. Mary Call meets him, but he, exasperated with her stubborn character, insists that he wants to talk to Roy Luther and does not have time for her. She relents, and he talks with Roy Luther. Afterward, Mary Call sees the stricken look on Kiser’s face; he realizes the extreme state of Roy Luther’s condition. He lists possible ways for Mary Call to find financial support, repeating his wish that he could advise her. He promises to let them stay until spring for free. Mary Call sees her brother out in the field, few food items in his bag, and she realizes that this image is a replica of her father’s life—“a few ears of corn grown on somebody else’s land from seed paid for by somebody else” (43), coupled with having to thank and kowtow to Kiser and apologize for their existence. All of her siblings look too frail, and something stirs in her, a “cold, slow spread” that gives her the courage to tell Kiser that the family is staying (44), and they will tend to the land that he gave them on the night he was close to dying. Briefly there is mutual respect between the two—even though they both do not like one another—as Mary Call shows a disbelieving Kiser the signed document.
Chapter 4 Summary
Kiser accepts the terms of the document, but he warns Mary Call that “the price of freedom comes might dear sometimes” (46). Devola takes this as a hint that he will relentlessly pursue marrying her. She is excited by the idea because she wants her family to live in his house and have nice amenities like hot water. Romey is unsure about this freedom, and he asks if Mary Call has figured out her idea yet. She shows them the book of medicinal herbs which will make them money. Romey wonders why their father never got into wildcrafting, and Mary Call believes that it is because of his pride—picking herbs could be considered “child’s play” whereas a man should be out farming. On their way to town, Mary Call and Romey admire their surroundings and the scent that “the earth and the trees and the flowers” make together (49). She feels both elated and anxious about their new ownership of the house and land.
At the General Store, Mary Call admires the owner Mr. Connell’s offerings, as well as the owner himself, whom she has known since she was a child. His wife is nosy and unpleasant to the Luthers; having heard about Roy Luther’s ailing health, she asks Mary Call about his well-being. After Romey delivers an impassioned speech implying that Roy Luther will never die—or if he does, the family will be fine—Mrs. Connell reprimands Roy Luther for being too proud to take “Christian help” and warns Mary Call that they need to seek help through institutions put in place for orphaned families. The children, she implores, must be realistic about the future. Meanwhile, Mr. Connell is elated that the siblings are going to start bringing herbs and plants to sell at the store; no one in the area has devoted themselves to wildcrafting. He advises Mary Call to study her book closely. On the way home, Mary Call and Romey think about the comments that Mrs. Connell made about their father and their family’s poverty. Mary Call tells Romey that if Roy Luther does die, they are going to keep it a secret from everyone.
Chapters 1-4 Analysis
The novel begins with an emphasis on setting, focusing on the grandeur of the Appalachian mountains that surround the Luther family. Natural imagery evokes the bountiful and lively qualities of the land throughout the novel, especially demonstrated in blooming flora (also found in the book’s title) and the motif of Wildcrafting. This motif is also apparent in the pervasive mentioning of local plants and herbs, as well as Mary Call’s radical idea to make money. By naming each plant individually—witch hazel, tamarack, gum camphor, etc.—the Cleaver authors highlight both the knowledge of the Luther siblings as well as their connection to the land. The authors use specificity to aid in realistic world-building of rural life in the Appalachians.
Natural aspects—the season, the time of day, the weather—are all intense presences in the novel that shape the family’s day-to-day lives. The Cleavers show that rural life is bound up in natural cycles. At times, they personify (give human characteristics to) the elements: “The rain breathed against the sides of the house” (25). The physical setting contributes to the mood of the piece, offering almost a supernatural presence, such as when Mary Call sees a figure outside in the moonlight. The local geography is described with many sensory details, including the earth’s smells, sights, and sounds, creating a vivid backdrop against the human troubles that Mary Call and her family face.
While the land is beautiful and fertile, it also brings hardship. The family is reliant upon the land for their livelihood, and they have limited access to resources. The setting contributes to the theme of Survival in a Harsh Environment. Spring and Winter are motifs that draw attention to the close relationship between hardship and hope, death and life. The land is a source of consternation because, up until Kiser’s illness, the Luther family did not own their house or the farmland. Roy Luther is a hired sharecropper, which places him at the mercy of Kiser Pease, the landowner. Mary Call’s quick decision to gain ownership from Kiser is the inciting incident in the novel, as it gives the family a scary but liberating autonomy over their own lives. They must adapt and evolve to take care of themselves.
Poverty and isolation shape the characterization of Mary Call, the protagonist of the novel. This text is of the coming-of-age genre due to the changes that young Mary Call must face beyond her usual reality. Living in poverty in a rural area has also influenced, and ultimately dominated, Mary Call’s dying father. Mary Call’s inability to rely on her father introduces the theme of the Complexity of Family Bonds. Her need to rely on herself is a defining quality of Mary Call’s tenacious character. While she hates what she calls her “ignorance,” she is highly resourceful, perceptive of others’ characters and motives, and knowledgeable about the wildlife around her. This same maturity and astuteness is also present in her siblings. All the children have tasks and caring responsibilities, but Mary Call especially has to keep her emotions and worries to herself; she considers herself the rock and anchor of the family.
Mary Call exhibits derision both toward her own father and toward Kiser Pease. Her father is the antithesis of the role model that she strives to be—she wants to be someone who takes charge and gets things done, rather than meekly submitting to circumstance. Kiser also does not impress her; to Mary Call, he is selfish and a cheat who cares more about money than family. Mary Call greatly values her siblings, and she continually sacrifices her own well-being in order to protect her brother and sisters, keeping good on her promises to her father as well as following her own moral code. She exhibits a sharp sense of humor and quick wit as she rebuffs Kiser and makes observations about individualist and capitalist values in the world around her.
At the end of this section, the authors foreshadow what will come when Mary Call remarks that, if their father dies, the family will keep Roy Luther’s death a secret. People outside of the family unit—Kiser Pease, Mr. And Mrs. Connell—display both warmth and judgement, with the continual characterization of Roy Luther as prideful. This pride is a quality that Mary Call shares, and it will influence her decisions throughout the novel.
