Good Dirt

“‘Most of the trouble in this world boils down to one person not recognizing the worth of another,’ Gramps said. ‘But sometimes, that can be an advantage.’”

This adage, which is first uttered by Ebby’s Grandpa Freeman, becomes a recurring theme in the novel as various characters identify with this sentiment. Throughout the novel, Moses’s assurance that the mind cannot be enslaved is an act of rebellion against the social order that deems his people of less value.

“Surely, she is not the only person holding in a world of hurt that pushes against their skin like water against the walls of a dam.”

This powerful simile strives to capture the true intensity of Ebby’s grief and suppressed trauma. The passage describes the sense of strangeness that Ebby feels at being scrutinized and identified by the tragedies that have happened to her. A defining aspect of her character can also be found in her effort to appear calm and competent despite her hidden anguish. As the events of the novel prove, this sense of inner turmoil is something that many characters share: a vulnerability that unites them.

“Her parents had always told her and Baz that they needed to watch their mouths and mind their manners, because being the grandchildren of the Freemans or the Blisses meant something in Massachusetts.”

The novel explores the weight of history on a family, not just in terms of achievements but also in terms of struggle. Ebby and Baz both learn that they must meet additional expectations in order to live up to their accomplished forebears; they likewise learn that they are held to a different and higher standard because they are a Black family in a predominantly white world.

“Hold the moment, Grandma Bliss always said. Before Ebby had ever heard the term mindfulness, Grandma Bliss had a grasp on the concept. Be aware of a beautiful moment as it is happening. Take note of your life as you are living it.”

This passage captures another strand of the advice Ebby hears from her family, but this suggestion is not a burden but a gift. In a novel deeply concerned with how to recover from trauma, this therapeutic notion of being present in the moment becomes a coping strategy that Ebby uses to stay grounded in her present and avoid becoming overwhelmed by her past.

“She and her child had been stolen from the place she called home, the people she called family, but on the morning that her son was born she decided that no, she would not allow them to be stolen from themselves.”

In its examination of trauma and the impact on identity, the novel also considers ways to engage in Self-Determination as a Form of Empowerment. Kandia’s enslavement and separation from her family represent the highest possible form of trauma, but her response is to find ways to preserve her sense of self and nurture her unborn child, and other characters also echo her level of determination.

“This is the only way she knows to be a woman in this world, by leaving much of who she is unsaid.”

A prevalent theme of the novel is self-expression or the denial of it, and several characters contemplate the things they wish they could say but haven’t dared to voice. While this passage occurs in a chapter from Soh’s point of view as she contemplates her own marriage, this longing for true expression is shared by many of the female characters.

“As soon as she wet the clay and began to mold it, Kandia felt the pains in her back and shoulders begin to ease, though her heart never stopped aching from the memory of all that she had lost.”

In keeping with the overall focus on Persevering Despite Loss and Trauma, the novel also espouses the characters’ efforts to find or create beauty wherever possible. Kandia, Moses’s mother, provides an example of this ability to create something positive from her sorrow—and the imagery of the clay reflects the novel’s titular concept that “good dirt” can be used to create useful, worthwhile things from humble or traumatic beginnings. The pottery that becomes Moses’s medium is therefore another example of the enduring power of family legacy and history.

“People were wired to persevere. People were wired for hope. People might feel hurt, but they still liked to laugh. They might lose someone dear, but they still wanted to love.”

This passage, which reflects on the lessons that Ebby has learned from her parents, encapsulates the novel’s focus on Persevering Despite Trauma and Loss, and Ebby acknowledges that even after the most terrible tragedy, life can still offer moments of joy. Ironically, Ebby reflects on this idea when she learns that she is pregnant, but the joy of her pregnancy, as well as the pain of unexpectedly losing her unborn child, are both things that she experiences alone.

“He’d had no idea that the soil itself was a living thing that could grow so quickly.”

The image of soil as a living thing that can grow on its own signifies the wonder that Moses feels when he watches the potters at work. Making pottery connects Moses to his mother, Kandia, but it also provides him with an outlet for creation and self-expression, and this pastime becomes valuable to him and to others, as symbolized by the enduring presence of Old Mo as part of the Freeman family.

“The little ways Ebby has learned to stay in the moment, over the years. To allow herself the joy of being alive, until the edges of her life grow raw again.”

In some ways, the novel is a study of the effects of trauma, and one method that Ebby uses to cope with her grief is her grandmother’s advice to “hold the moment.” This phrase refers to the act of remaining mindful and paying attention to the small, sensory details that can help provide a sense of grounding in the present. Those who keep this advice in mind are able to resist the urge to become swallowed up by the traumas of the past.

“Every moment in life is a confluence of events and you can’t see it all coming. You need to try not to, Ebby thinks. See it all. Otherwise, it leaves no room in your head to simply live.”

This passage also illustrates Ebby’s strategy for moving forward despite the lingering bereavement of past trauma. In effect, she is simply trying to find a way to live her life. Several characters come to similar realizations about their own situation, and these collective revelations form a deeper argument about the importance of Persevering Despite Loss and Trauma.

“Who would they be without their daughter nearby to remind them that life, in its own way, has been good?”

This passage links the struggle to overcome trauma with The Obligations of Family Legacy. As Ed reflects on his and his wife’s attachment to Ebby, he realizes that their daughter has become a powerful reason for them to take pleasure in life even after the loss of their son. Both Ed and Soh feel, in different ways, that living for Ebby is one way to survive the tragedy that has befallen their family.

“There will always be men willing to steal the freedom of others if they think it will bring them an advantage.”

The bitter tone of this statement reflects the novel’s focus on the historical injustices of enslavement and the racism that still infects American society during the novel’s present-day timeline. Often, Wilkerson employs minor characters in the book to deliver pointed examples of social commentary. In this passage, the sailor Frenchie, who only appears in one chapter, repeats the novel’s question of why some people will try to hurt or imprison others.

“Like those stars at night, this was the world that God had intended. This was the world as it was meant to be.”

This passage captures how Willis feels when he makes his way to the deck of the ship on which he has stowed away in order to escape South Carolina. In this moment, he experiences real freedom for the first time, and his sense that he is part of the natural order of things is symbolized by the sighting of the whale, which fills him with awe. One theme of the novel is the question of what defines a man, and Willis feels that he has become one during this experience.

“That was the last thing he saw […] Everything that jar represented. Our family’s pride. Our history. All the stories that used to entertain us. Gone. That jar had been there before us, and our parents, and their parents, and it was supposed to be there, no matter what.”

The damage done to the jar when the criminals invade the Freemans’ home becomes a symbol of what is stolen from the family with Baz’s death, but the jar itself also holds a larger history as a symbol of what the Freeman family has survived and accomplished over the past generations. Part of Ebby’s trauma over Baz’s death stems from the fact that the shattering of Old Mo represents not just a personal loss but a cultural loss.

“Avery understands she needs a personal renovation. She needs to reimagine her own life.”

Though she is only a secondary character, Avery serves as a foil to Ebby, for both women have been romantic partners to the errant Henry. Avery begins as a rival to Ebby but soon proves herself to be a friend, showing that people can have unexpected depths. She also serves as yet another example of a character who desires to undergo a personal transformation, and she actively looks for ways to rebuild her life.

“Words have power. So does the absence of words.”

This passage makes explicit the novel’s argument about the power of words, although this theme is also examined through instances in which the right words are withheld. The specific example illustrated here occurs when Henry is reluctant to ask Harris about his knowledge of the jar and instead chooses to leave Ebby in order to avoid confrontation. The power of words is also illustrated through other examples, most potently through the words that Moses inscribes on the bottom of Old Mo.

“You could not grow up to be a black man, no matter how successful, without knowing, in some quadrant of your brain, that you were more vulnerable to potential harm than other men. You had to watch your back. You had to teach your son to watch his back.”

Ed’s self-blame over choosing the house in Connecticut where Baz is eventually killed leads him to experience intense internal conflict during the novel’s present-day timeline, and his emotions correspond to other family members’ convictions that they too played a part in the tragedy. Ed’s reflection on his parents’ response to his choice to move to an all-white area highlights the novel’s running subtext about the experiences of African Americans amidst the discrimination and dangers that they so often confront in the United States.

“Will she ever be so far into a relationship, one that works, that it will be able to bear up under the pressures that life can bring?”

In its thematic examination of trauma and resilience, the novel suggests that people can recover from violence and pain by focusing on their connections to one another. In this passage, when Ebby witnesses the tentative reunion of her parents, the moment also foreshadows her coming reunion with Robert, a relationship that does survive pressures and obstacles.

“That kid was fifteen years old when he died. And they were going to have to live with that knowledge for the rest of their lives.”

In a novel about legacies, Wilkerson emphasizes that the robbers who murdered Baz also have a legacy to endure, and this passage highlights their anguish over accidentally shooting the boy while trying to steal the jar. The hint that the robbers, too, are haunted by their actions supports the novel’s focus on the lasting impacts of trauma.

“I think we need everything that helps us to remember who we are, even without Baz.”

For Soh and Ebby, finding that Ed has fixed the jar is a bittersweet reclamation. Though they can never have Baz back, they find a modicum of comfort in the idea that at least this one aspect of their family legacy has not been destroyed. With the resurrection of Old Mo, the Freemans make new strides in Persevering Despite Loss and Trauma.

“The feeling of home isn’t tied to one place only.”

Though this contemplation of home is incidental to the larger narrative, it highlights the novel’s recurring focus on the characters’ various movements and displacements—some of which are forceful, as in the case of Kandia and Moses—and some of which are chosen, as in the case of Willis, Ebby, Avery, and Ed. In pursuit of the theme of Self-Definition as a Form of Empowerment, the novel examines the core passions and connections that the characters use as a basis for their lives, and one fundamental consideration is having a place—or a person—that feels like home.

“Moses channeled his grief and anger into words of perseverance when he must have felt like giving up. For generations, her family has drawn strength and reassurance from that one simple line. And now, they are ready to share it.”

Old Mo represents many things in the novel, but in this passage, Ebby specifically reflects on the idea that Moses, the potter, forged ahead despite his pain and inscribed a message that has uplifted many in the years since. The Freemans’ decision to share the jar that is their legacy is a mark of healing for their family and a reminder that African American history is a part of American history, not separate from it.