Lee Smith Sent Us Mail
Posted on September 10th, 2007 by deandj
Dear Daren,
Thanks so much for writing to me, and for including me in your course! Tell
your students hello for me — in many ways, that story (Speaking in Tongues) is one of the most autobiographical I have attempted. And Clyde (Edgerton) is a very good friend of ours; how nice that you were able to do your work with him! There are several documentaries of speaking on tongues available, for anybody who’d like to see the real thing — maybe through the school library? Or the internet?
Very best wishes,
Lee Smith
It was very sweet of her to write to us. Thank you Lee Smith!–DD
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In the story, Coal Smoke, written by Silas House shines a light on grit lit in many ways. The main character, Lynn, is a character absorbed into the lifestyle of “grit”. The literal definition is given as loose particles of sand which is how Lynn is reflected. She used to have her morals straight and she was more together. After the death of her father, she resembled the loose grains of sand as she wasn’t held together as a definite structure. What Lynn sees in Gary Dean resembles what she may see in herself. She doesn’t let the fact that he is not perfect intrude into their relationship because she realizes that she’s not so perfect either. Each of the characters communicate as if they are hiding true feelings or maybe people just aren’t listening. It takes more energy to listen than it does to speak sometimes which is what people at the bar including her brother were demonstrating. Her brother was not consoling Lynn. Instead, he left her with a feeling of isolation.
“Coal Smoke” by Silas House is the perfect example of the term “Lit Grit” in my opinion. Lynn feelings and lifestyle coupled with Woody’s lifestyle is true grit. They have that constant mundane and troublesome lifestyle and can never seem to get out of it. In the end, Lynn accepts this lot in life. Lynn loves that Gary Dean is strong and is infatuated with his hands. Gary Dean is a drug user as is she, and I sense they have a connection as he looks at her through the rear view mirror asking for Woody’s girlfriends name without using words. Lynn understands and shakes her head in response with no words still. I think that is significant about their communication. They know each other so well, as so Lynn and Woody, that they speak in their own language. She asks a random man to take her out of the place, but he cannot hear her over the loud music, and she does not try to repeat herself. Everyone is dancing around her, but she does not join. She is unable to communicate with any of them, and cannot remember where her table is. This is true alienation. Woody is gone from her, as is Gary Dean and she is alone with many people around her.