Hannah Coulter

Hannah Coulter, published in 2004, is the seventh book in Wendell Berry’s Port William series. The narrator, Hannah Coulter, is in her final years and reflects on her life in Port William, Kentucky, a fictional farming community. Through Hannah’s contemplative storytelling, she narrates her life story, beginning just after World War I and spanning into the new millennium. The story weaves together themes of The Significance of Place and Belonging, The Power of Memory and Storytelling, and Rural Life and Agrarian Values while chronicling the story of Hannah’s 50-year marriage to Nathan and the land and family they nurtured. 

Through Hannah’s personal story, Berry explores what it means to be a part of a fellowship of like-minded people and traces the decline of rural life in the wake of post-war modernization and mechanization of the farm. Berry’s career spans over six decades and includes more than 50 books, including 10 novels, short story collections, a dozen poetry collections, and 20 nonfiction essay collections. Berry and his wife, Tanya, live on the banks of the Kentucky River and farm the land his family has owned for eight generations. 

This guide is based on the 2004 Counterpoint e-book edition.

Content Warning: The source material discusses graphic violence in war.

Plot Summary

After Hannah’s mother died, her father, a tenant farmer, remarried, and his new wife, Ivy, was cruel to Hannah. Her Grandmam became a mother figure to her, and through her influence, Hannah felt loved and learned everything she knew about cooking and farm life. After Hannah graduated from high school, Grandmam helped her find a job and a place to live in Port William. Hannah lived with Ora Finley and worked for Wheeler Catlett, a lawyer in town. Mrs. Ora’s sister-in-law was Margaret Feltner, and soon Hannah came to know their son Virgil. Though Hannah was six years younger than Virgil, they began courting and fell in love. Hannah and Virgil got married and moved in with his parents, Mat and Margaret Feltner, just before World War II began. Hannah stayed with the Feltners when Virgil was deployed overseas and became like a daughter to them. Virgil was reported missing in action and never returned. Hannah gave birth to their daughter, whom she named Margaret, and continued living with the Feltners.

With Virgil gone, Mr. Feltner needed help on the farm, and Jarrat Coulter and his son, Nathan, began helping regularly. Nathan and Hannah fell in love almost instantly, but Nathan waited until Hannah was ready, as she was still grieving the loss of Virgil. Nathan bought a parcel of land with a derelict home and asked Hannah to be his wife. They married and moved into the house to begin work on it immediately. Margaret was three, and though it took time, she eventually came to love Nathan like a father. Their land was adjacent to the Feltners, and Nathan regularly helped Mr. Feltner while Margaret traveled back and forth between her two homes. Hannah and Nathan lived and worked with the other families around them—a close-knit community of friends and family that Nathan’s uncle, Burley, called “the membership.” Eventually, Hannah and Nathan had two sons, Mattie and Caleb. They raised their three children to work the farm and participate in the membership but also prioritized their education.

All three children went away to college and never returned to the farm to live or work. Margaret got married to a man named Marcus and became a teacher. They had one son, whom they named Virgil—Virgie for short. Mattie became an engineer and moved out West. He had several children with different partners, but Nathan and Hannah rarely saw them. Caleb married but had no children.

Margaret and Marcus got divorced, and Virgie began spending a lot of time at the farm. Hannah and Nathan hoped he would become their heir and take over the farming. In his teenage years, Virgie became bitter over his father’s abandonment and rebelled against him. He disappeared, and Hannah and Nathan lost touch with him. In the absence of their children, Burley Coulter’s son, Danny, and his wife, Lyda, grew close to Nathan and Hannah and assisted them with their farming. After the war, most farmers abandoned traditional planting methods and purchased tractors to expedite their work. Danny maintained the old ways, and he and Lyda raised their seven children to work the land. Nathan became sick, and when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, he chose to forgo treatment and die peacefully at home.

Hannah lives alone after Nathan’s death, relying on her memories and the stories she carries from the past for comfort and solace. Danny, Lyda, and all the Branch children farm their land, the Feltners’ place (which Margaret owns), and the old Coulter place, and continue to be loyal, good friends to Hannah. Andy Catlett, Wheeler’s son, and his wife visit Hannah often, and she tells Andy the story of the life she and Nathan built together. Hannah worries about what will happen to their farm and the Port William “membership” once she is gone. One day, Virgie reappears, looking tired and gaunt from having led a hard life. Hannah welcomes him home without hesitation, and he begins working with Danny to learn the skills of a farmer. Hannah doesn’t know what the future holds for Virgie and the farm, but she is at peace knowing he’s back home. In a vision of her death, Nathan meets Hannah in the field, welcoming her into eternal rest.