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By Grace Fields
This semester I had the pleasure of reading Wendell Berry’s “Hannah Coulter.” After
having read another book in Berry’s ‘Port William Series’ titled “Jayber Crow”, I was excited to
experience the lives of the people of Port William once again. After reading ‘Jayber Crow’, I fell
in love with the inhabitants of Port William; they seem less like characters to me and more like
real people now. However, ‘Hannah Coulter’ touched me in ways I did not expect.
One of the themes that runs through Berry’s books is the idea of ‘membership’. A
‘membership’ comprises the loved ones that have stood by you, comforted you, and loved you
all your life. Hannah describes the membership as being comprised of both the living and the
dead. This concept made me reflect on my own membership; the people who have stood by me,
comforted me, and loved me unconditionally. Do I recognize the importance of our membership?
Do I show love and gratitude towards them? How has my going to college affected them?
Hannah says, “The members, I guess you could say, are born into it, they stay in it by choosing
to stay, and they die in it. Or they leave it like my children have done.” After reflecting on this, I
concluded that it is easy to take for granted the membership you are in. When I became an adult,
my desire to be my own individual only increased, however Hannah’s story has taught me about
the importance of my community.
One of the people in my membership has recently passed away. Not only is it comforting
to know that they will always be a part of my membership, but that their love lives on in me.
When Hannah reflects on the dead that are unable to attend her daughter’s wedding she says, “I
loved her that day with my love but also with theirs.” My membership has been great examplesof unconditional love, and I want to love others not only with my love but with theirs. I think of
it almost like a never-ending stream that has flowed from them to me. Up until now I was
unaware of the stream and of its importance, but now that I am aware I am grateful for their
influence. I walk away from away from Hannah Coulter with an open, grateful heart, content in
choosing my membership.
Grace is a McConnell Scholar in the class of 2028 at the University of Louisville. She studies political science and economics.