One Foot in Eden

Widow Glendower symbolizes the threat of exposed secrets. The people of Jocassee label the Widow as a “witch” because she uses alternative medicine practices, and she lives alone, isolated from the rest of the farming community. Although many characters, such as Amy’s father, chastise the other farmers for their superstitious beliefs about the Widow, they all secretly believe that there is something unusual about her. However, the people’s fundamental fear of the Widow lies not in her supposed supernatural powers, but in the many secrets that she holds. The Widow tells Amy that people come to her when they are desperate, which makes her the keeper of Jocassee’s secrets. Although the Widow does not intend to expose people, the local community fears her power over them. The Widow’s reputation for having supernatural qualities follows her even in death, because Bobby dumps her skeleton back into the reservoir to avoid having a “witch” buried with his family. As he gives in to his superstitious beliefs and lets the Widow sink into the lake, her secrets are erased with the last of her remains.

Jocassee Valley is a motif that represents loss. Will outlines the fact that the history of Jocassee exists in the land itself and laments the loss of all those memories when Carolina Power floods the valley. Jocassee is therefore emblematic of Eden. Just as the biblical Adam and Eve can never return to Eden, the people of Jocassee will never be able to return to their homes. Will fears that the farmers in Jocassee will have difficulty adapting to another home because of their Cultural Connections to the Land and the generations of people who lived here before them. After Carolina Power turns Jocassee into a lake, Will knows that the valley will only exist in the people’s memories. After Isaac’s generation dies, Jocassee Valley will effectively cease to exist. This thought elicits grief from the community as the reservoir reminds them that Carolina Power believes the local community to be expendable.