When the Jessamine Grows

“Joetta knew it to be a cockade. They had appeared suddenly to show who supported the South seceding from the Union.”

The passage introduces the cockade as a symbol for loyalty to the Confederacy and a motif driving The Moral and Social Implications of Neutrality in Conflict. The cockade turns Henry against Ennis, leading to him leaving. Later on, the cockade would be used by others, and then by Joetta, in an attempt to keep her family safe by pretending she is pro-Confederacy. However, she still shows her neutrality and soon gives up pretending to have different beliefs.

“If something happened to Ennis, or Henry, I would know.”

The quote establishes Joetta’s deep intuition that comes from her devotion to her family. She recalls sensing her miscarriages and has grown to know loss by this intuition. This would give her hope throughout and at the end of the novel that she will see Henry again though he has not been found. However, this sense may not always be accurate as she feels a chill when Rudean, the Caldwells, and Reginald Stout bring the corpse that is supposedly Ennis’s. The corpse is later revealed not to be Ennis and Ennis returns, having been in prison the whole time.

“How can I be disloyal if I have not chosen a side? Who am I disloyal to?”

The quote shows The Moral and Social Implications of Neutrality in Conflict by showing Joetta’s determination to uphold her beliefs and her lack of understanding of why the Confederate townspeople cannot accept her neutrality. She feels that she is staying out of the war and not harming the Confederacy by staying neutral. However, Bess and many others believe that those who do not support the Confederacy, even if they are simply neutral, are against it and no better than Unionists, which would lead her to become more ostracized when she meets and protects Charlie.

“You told them about those Union soldiers. You should have kept quiet.”

After the townsmen damage the McBrides’ crops, Rudean tries to blame it on Joetta for giving water to Union soldiers. However, Joetta points out that Rudean was the one who told the townsmen about it and is, thus, responsible for them and the rest of the town finding out. This would eventually lead to the town becoming more distrustful of Joetta, showing The Moral and Societal Implications of Neutrality in Conflict.

“All you had to do was tell’em we were on the Confederate side.”

The quote shows Robert’s frustration at Joetta’s inability to hide her neutrality and pretend to be pro-Confederate. He feels that she is not trying and the family is suffering as a result, showing The Moral and Social Implications of Neutrality in Conflict. It also shows the strain in his and Joetta’s relationship and his anger at her for Ennis’s departure, highlighting The Impact of War on Families.

“Joetta McBride, you are quite obstinate and hard-headed.”

Bess’s comment to Joetta shows her frustration at Joetta’s stubborn adherence to her neutrality and her own unwavering devotion to the Confederacy. This drives The Moral and Social Implications of Neutrality in Conflict. Driven by Joetta’s dislike of the women’s racism and gossiping in the sewing group, this marks the end of Joetta’s time there and her attempts to appear pro-Confederacy. They decide they will never agree with each other and this is where their long friendship starts to come to an end.

“She could not have been more moved, or more stunned, so unexpected was this offering, given with such consideration. She carefully held it against her breast, overcome with emotion.”

Despite Joetta and Rudean’s differences, he gives Joetta a painted wooden bluebird he made as a present. Loving nature, Joetta is grateful for the present and is touched by the gift, thanking him. This is also a point where it is shown that Rudean does care about his daughter-in-law, even if he does not agree with or understand her most of the time. It also highlights that Joetta will warm up more to Rudean as he shows more of his kindness in the novel.

“I am alone.”

Joetta says this to herself when she is in the house alone while Robert is at the Caldwells’ house. She feels the absence of everyone she loves, with Henry still being gone, Ennis being presumably dead, and Robert avoiding her. This hurts her and she feels lonely and hopeless. Soon after, she would find Charlie in her springhouse and he would help bring her family back together and survive the war.

“From now on, you are Charlie, and only Charlie. Not Hasty. The name does you a disservice because it was not you who brought on the demise of those men.”

After Charlie shares his story about being in the Union, Joetta decides the family will no longer call him by his nickname Hasty, feeling that it is a hurtful and inaccurate name for Charlie. She assures him that he is not to blame for the Union soldiers’ deaths and wants him to let go of any guilt he might have. This helps him and he soon begins to trust her more, eventually becoming a son figure to her. It also shows her mentality that his past does not define him, supporting Resilience and the Drive for Survival.

“Joetta was grateful he had seen to help the young boy instead of betraying him.”

Robert decides to help Charlie hide from the Confederate soldiers rather than give him to them, showing that he has developed a friendship and connection with him like Joetta had. It also shows Charlie beginning to bring the mother and son back together, allowing them to understand each other and fight for each other once again. This drives The Moral and Social Implications of Neutrality in Conflict and Resilience and the Drive for Survival.

“It’s a woman’s nature, if one is the mothering sort, to care for the sick or downtrodden.”

Joetta explains to Robert why she is helping Charlie, showing that she has a strong maternal instinct and wants to help others, especially if they are children. This shows The Moral and Social Implications of Neutrality in Conflict by showing that Joetta’s compassion is much of what inspires her to care for Charlie and risk her life and reputation for him. It also helps him better understand her thinking and helps them reconcile.

“No, but I also would not let anyone suffer, not if I can help them. It would go against my beliefs.”

Joetta tells Robert that her compassion is why she is neutral in the war and why she cares so deeply about Charlie despite him not being her biological son. This helps Robert understand why she finds it so hard to pretend to support the Confederacy despite her attempt before to try to keep her family safe. This candid discussion eventually leads to Robert choosing to let Charlie stay with them and to him and Joetta reconciling after two years. This drives The Moral and Social Implications of Neutrality in Conflict.

“What do you think of your Rebels now?”

Joetta shouts this to Rudean after his overt generosity to the desperate Confederate soldiers leads them to take not only the pig that was promised, but also every other livestock animal on the farm. This devastates and enrages Joetta, Robert, and Rudean, and Joetta criticizes him for supporting the Confederacy so uncritically when they are willing to steal their livestock with no qualms and allow them to struggle, highlighting both The Moral and Social Implications of Neutrality in Conflict and The Impact of War on Families, showing that they will struggle following this event.

“You ain’t got to worry none about me. I won’t say nothing about him being here.”

Despite Rudean being deeply distrustful of Charlie at first due to him being a Union soldier, once Joetta and Robert tell his story, he begins to understand that Charlie did not choose to be in the Union. Shortly after, when Joetta is worried Rudean will tell people about Charlie, he assures her he will not, knowing he is not a Union supporter. He would soon become protective of Charlie and welcome him into the family, even having Joetta and Robert take him from the farm after Harold goes to tell his parents about Charlie.

“If my beloved Ennis needed a coat, I care not where he got it.”

Joetta rebukes Bess for questioning Ennis’s loyalty and implying he was a Union soldier because he was wearing a Union uniform when he supposedly died, showing The Moral and Social Implications of Neutrality in Conflict. Joetta disregards this, seeing it as simply his need for a coat, showing that she is still mourning her beloved husband and resents Bess’s unkind statement about him. This quote also shows the end of Joetta and Bess’s friendship—they have become different people. Even after Bess apologizes for her and her family’s actions at the end of the novel, Joetta has trouble forgiving them for the effects their actions had on her family.

“That’s mostly why I came home. It didn’t feel right to stay.”

Robert reveals that he knew Thomas Caldwell was the man in the green coat who had been terrorizing him and Joetta and that he left largely due to learning this from Harold, even knowing it was to scare Joetta. This shows that Robert is loyal to his family deep down and chose to be with his mother. He would later end his friendships with the Caldwells and remain loyal to his family, including his new friend and adoptive brother Charlie. The quote supports The Moral and Social Implications of Neutrality in Conflict and Resilience and the Drive for Survival.

“Who would have known she could feel so wretched leaving this cranky old man who had been such a thorn, always piercing her heart with his harsh words and actions?”

After Harold goes to tell his parents about seeing Charlie, Rudean tells the three to go to Joetta’s parents and he will stay. For the first time, Joetta finds herself concerned about him, finding it interesting. It also shows that she is starting to see that Rudean has changed somewhat and that he has some kindness. She also starts to see a bit of Ennis in him, changing how she sees him. Following this event, their relationship would become far more amicable and supportive, showing Resilience and the Drive for Survival as they focus on helping each other and the boys survive the war.

“Christmas Day arrived, and the struggle to find sustenance provided very little. They huddled around the fire and talked of old times, about Henry, Ennis, and mostly about the food Joetta used to prepare.”

The passage shows Resilience and the Drive for Survival by establishing Joetta, Robert, and Rudean focusing on the good memories they have at Christmas even with the challenges they have had finding food and keeping Joetta and Robert hidden from the townspeople. It also shows they are not letting their troubles define their Christmas and are using the memories to help them stay emotionally strong. This would help strengthen their bond and shows that, at this point, any resentment or anger between the three family members is gone, instead replaced by familial solidarity, showing positive and negative examples of The Impact of War on Families with the McBrides.

“Charlie. Because of you, we made it through the winter. And now, here you have gone and saved my life. We are indebted to you.”

After Charlie kills Miller and reveals he was the person giving the McBrides dead possums and chickens to cook through the winter, he still worries about the townspeople and the repercussions for taking Miller’s life. Joetta assures him, however, that things will be okay and that he saved the family. With this exchange, Joetta takes Charlie into their family and he becomes an adoptive member of the family, helping Robert and Joetta survive the war and showing Resilience and the Drive for Survival.

“Grandpa told me he wished he’d never talked so much about the war.”

Robert’s reveal of Rudean’s regret over glorifying war to him and Henry shows his character’s development in the novel. The war had shown him how brutal war actually is, with Ennis’s presumed death and Henry’s disappearance making feel guilty. Joetta finds this touching and realizes he has changed since the war, highlighting The Impact of War on Families.

“Hardly believable, but here it was. The jessamine had survived and was making a comeback, despite all. She cleared the ash away from the recovering vine, comforted immensely by the symbol of a previous life renewed. She sat back on her heels and considered the plant. It was hardy, tolerant, even in the most adverse conditions. Surely it was a sign for her, for all of them.”

Outside Mary’s house, Joetta notices the jessamine plant growing and notes how like her, Robert, and Charlie, the plant had survived. This introduces the jessamine as a symbol of survival and inner strength and a motif supporting Resilience and the Drive for Survival. This symbol gives Joetta peace and hope for the future, making her believe that she and the boys will ultimately be okay and they will rebuild their lives soon now that the war is over.

“For Ennis, prison and its never-ending cycle of daily monotonous routines had taxed him mentally, and the poor conditions had stripped him of his vitality. She learned how he had spent time most of his time dreaming of making it home.”

Resilience and the Drive for Survival is important in Ennis’s survival in the prison and, like Joetta, he dreamed and hoped of better times and seeing his family again in order to overcome his ordeal and survive for his family. He was then able to find his way back to Joetta and Robert. This also shows how much he has changed and his desire to start a new life after the trauma of war and imprisonment.

“She tried to feel the old connection, and what became obvious was she no longer belonged here.”

Joetta is initially reluctant to leave the farm, still wishing to hold onto her memories there and considering the simple and peaceful life she had there, showing the McBrides’ land as a symbol of this desire and a motif of The Impact of War on Families. However, she finds she does not belong there anymore, being troubled by Henry’s absence and the hardships of the war and the townspeople’s hostility that she and her family endured. She decides that she wants a new life like Ennis and the boys do, and they travel to Texas.