Student Question
Who are the main characters in the novel Jayber Crow?
Quick answer:
The main characters in Wendell Berry's novel Jayber Crow include Jayber Crow, the protagonist who returns to his hometown of Port William, Kentucky, to work as a sexton, gravedigger, and barber. Troy Chatham is a farmer who embodies Berry's criticism of modern agricultural practices and ruins his wife's inherited farm. Mattie Keith is Troy's wife and childhood sweetheart, whom Jayber loves but respects enough not to pursue due to her unhappy marriage.
There are three central characters in Berry's pastoral novel:
Jayber Crow: the protagonist, who has returned to his hometown of Port William, Kentucky after many years away. In Port William, Crow works as the town's sexton, gravedigger and barber. All three positions afford him the opportunity to intimately witness the changes and personalities of the townspeople.
Troy Chatham, farmer: Troy bears the brunt of Berry's dislike for modern agricultural practices. Heavily in debt, Chatham brings his wife's inherited farm to ruin by over-expanding and accruing more debt than he can ever repay.
Mattie Keith: Troy's wife. Their marriage was doomed from the start, even though they had been childhood sweethearts. Jayber is in love with Mattie, but his decency will not allow him to move on her, so he watches her endure her hopeless marriage from afar.
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