Hannah Coulter

Berry establishes the significance of place and belonging by including a quote from Edwin Muir as an epigraph that sets a reflective tone for the novel, posing questions about what endures over time. Muir’s words—“Have drawn at last from time which takes away / And taking leaves all things in their right place / An image of forever / One and whole” (11)—reveal that despite life being full of loss and uncertainty, there is permanence to be found in a life committed to a purpose. Hannah’s steady investment in her family and her Port William community reaffirms the way a person’s deep ties to land and people can shape a lasting kind of wholeness. Hannah’s story becomes a vision of a shared life, where serving others and stewarding resources create bonds that outlast individual lives, giving shape to an “image of forever” through faithful belonging (11).

Hannah finds her place of belonging in the physical setting of Port William, the membership’s connection to one another—whether through blood or friendship—and in the collective story they all share. When Miss Ora and Wheeler Catlett shepherd her into the community, Hannah’s sense of identity becomes attached to the town of Port William through its residents.