The Girls in the Stilt House

“Each morning, just before the sun broke the horizon, they woke with the same otherworldly racket, eventually lifting off in unison, a shivering black cloud against the pale light of the new day. Ada hated the starlings.”

The starlings, birds often associated with community and family due to their flight patterns, that nest in the canebreak near Ada’s house are symbolic of her feelings about family. The birds are noisy and dirty, just like her father, and their loud din makes her uneasy. In addition, she associates them with his torture of her as a child, how he’d shoot them and make her retrieve their little bodies, picking through the swamp and their feces.

“Everyone has their moral limits, Ada supposed, her father’s being not shitting on the spot where her mother had died.”

This description indirectly characterizes Virgil Morgan. It is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but this tone helps it to establish just how callous and unfeeling Virgil’s character is. He may be an abuser, but at the very least, he won’t defecate where his wife died. However, this presents a rather low bar for his character’s morality.

“It’s nearabout a miracle for a cypress tree to come into being […]. They only make their seeds certain years, and those seeds have to fall onto dirt that’s damp, but not too wet […] Ever [sic] tree out there is a miracle.”

When Sylvie says this to Ada, she appears to conceive of the cypress as a symbol for young women living in this time and place. It takes such special conditions for a girl to thrive in the Trace—a rather lawless and vice-ridden place—that when Ada remembers her mother’s words, she thinks, “So much was required just to stay alive” (31). Life is hard here for the people as well as the cypress.

“I think I saved your sorry ass and you ain’t said spit about that, is what I think.”

This line, spoken by Matilda after she saves Ada, indirectly characterizes her as proud. It signals the way she will conduct herself in the relationship, demanding that Ada recognize her as an equal rather than someone who owes her something. Matilda wants to make sure that Ada recognizes that she needs to be grateful rather than feel entitled to Matilda’s service.

“She hoped there was justice in what they were doing, in what they had done already. That there were exceptions to Thou shalt not kill, or at least mercy enough to cover this night.”

Ada’s feelings after burying Virgil’s body highlight The Moral Dilemmas Faced by People on Society’s Margins. She understands that killing someone is against Christianity’s moral code, but she also recognizes that her situation with Virgil deserves to be considered an exception and that she deserves some mercy because of how he treated her and Sylvie. If Sylvie had accused Virgil of abuse, it is entirely possible that he would not have been punished, and it could result in more undesirable consequences for her. If Matilda didn’t kill Virgil, he would’ve killed Ada. While murder may not be the “right” thing, it keeps Ada safe and alive.

“There was so much she did not know about taking care of herself, having grown up without the guiding hand of a mother all these years, and soon there would be someone else to look after and keep safe.”

This description indirectly characterizes Ada as somewhat helpless. She hasn’t had a mother for seven years, and—aside from running away with Jesse—she has allowed her father to dictate the course of her life rather than teaching herself how to do the things that might give her more mobility and freedom. This is why she begins to rely on Matilda so quickly and easily.

“Well, don’t get too grateful. I ain’t taking responsibility. Not for you nor any baby. This is a scratch-each-other’s-back situation.”

Matilda’s frank assessment of her relationship with Ada demonstrates The Complexities of Friendship Across Social Divides. She wants Ada not to take her for granted, but she also doesn’t want them to become sentimental with each other. Matilda refuses to allow herself to become responsible for Ada and her daughter; she wants Ada to do that. She emphasizes that both she and Ada stand to benefit from their living arrangement.

“Sometimes it seemed as if Matilda was punishing her for something. Something other than everything white people had done to colored people. It was unsettling.”

Ada’s feeling that Matilda is punishing her highlights The Complexities of Friendship Across Social Divides. Ada realizes that white people have not treated Black people well and that Matilda might feel resentful for that reason, but she’s at a loss as to why else Matilda might punish her. She doesn’t understand that her own helplessness and reliance on Matilda replicates certain racial dynamics that privilege her.

“Ain’t nothing to me, though, if you don’t like it […]. Don’t matter none to me what you call it […]. It’s your baby. Not mine.”

After Annis is born, Matilda acts like she doesn’t care what Ada names the baby when she obviously is invested in the decision, and she calls the baby “it” rather than “her,” which indicates the emotional distance she’s trying to create between herself and the new mother and daughter. This is an example of Matilda’s internal conflict: She cares about Ada and Annis, but she doesn’t want to get too attached because of The Complexities of Friendship Across Social Divides.

“Virgil lived on the opposite side of the Trace […]. With the rest of his sort, she supposed. Reptiles and rats and slugs. Those useless little gnats that never let up. […] Pesky, inconsequential little things that would be easily squashed if all of nature did not conspire to provide them such cover, give them such advantage.”

Matilda conceives of this metaphor for Virgil, comparing him to the vermin, insects, and other animals that tend to disgust humans. Part of the reason she hates him so much is because of his privilege; he’s horrible, but because he is white, he can get away with a lot. He would be “inconsequential” and “easily squashed” if “nature” didn’t give him the “cover” of whiteness. It doesn’t seem fair.

“Still, her father had gotten himself tangled up in a deal to hide Curtis Creedle’s liquor and to transport it in the rigged-up wagon. […] Dalton did this in exchange for Curtis’s promise to write off, at the end of one year, the debt Dalton owed him.”

Matilda’s thoughts about her father’s involvement in Creedle’s bootleg operation reveal the complexity of The Moral Dilemmas Faced by People on Society’s Margins. Dalton is an honest man, but he ends up owing Creedle money, a common circumstance for many Black sharecroppers working for white landowners. Because Dalton would have difficulty earning enough money to support his family and pay the debt off, Creedle ropes him into an illegal scheme. Though the honest-by-nature Dalton would rather not have to cheat the law, he is left with few options.

“He understood. A whole life instead of a sunset here and a cool breeze there and a dream of landowning that wasn’t likely to ever come true.”

When Matilda tells her parents that she intends to move to Cleveland after the baby is born, Dalton understands. He has always wanted a larger life and more opportunity. Teensy may be content to circumscribe her life within small pleasures, but Matilda doesn’t want to do the same. The happiness to be felt from a sunset or cool breeze isn’t enough for her.

“If Teensy was beaming before, she was an absolute sunrise now.”

This metaphor compares Teensy, “beaming” with happiness over the apparent health of her unborn baby, to a sunrise. She is relieved and thrilled, brimming with anticipation for the baby, especially as she has lost three others since having Matilda. The sweetness and simplicity of the metaphor mirrors Teensy’s sweet and simple character

“Although Peggy meant well, most of the time, there was something about the girl that wore on Matilda […] And nothing made [Peggy] happier than breaking a rule and getting away with it.”

This description of Peggy’s character highlights her privilege. She’s nice enough, and Matilda doesn’t have a problem with her, personally. What Matilda dislikes is the privilege Peggy enjoys simply because she is white. Peggy can break a rule without consequence because her race protects her, while Matilda can abide by every rule and still end up with enemies.

“But she had secretly named in ‘Go Away,’ so she could call him without admitting to wanting him around.”

This description of Matilda’s relationship with the dog she calls “Go Away” indirectly characterizes her as someone who feels the need to protect her heart. She doesn’t want others to know she cares about the dog because it is an area of vulnerability. She doesn’t want to admit her feelings even to herself because it is easier to remain detached.

“Frank’s lips curled into an empty smile, and he raised the bottles over his head in an arrogant greeting. ‘You know what’s good for you, you’ll keep your mouth shut about this.’ His voice fell over her like an icy rain, and she stood frozen, a garden statue at the end of a row of field peas.”

This interaction demonstrates The Moral Dilemmas Faced by People on Society’s Margins. Matilda has done nothing wrong; Frank is the thief, the white man willing to threaten her, a powerless girl. Yet, she knows her word won’t stand up to Frank’s with Creedle. The simile comparing his voice to icy rain highlights how chilling his threat is, while the metaphor linking her to a garden statue draws attention to her innocence in the face of his deception and cruelty.

“Telling her parents would crack the fragile world Teensy had made for herself of things she could see that were beautiful and good. […] And telling Dalton would put him at risk. Was he safer knowing or not knowing?”

When Matilda must try to decide whether to tell her parents that she saw Frank stealing liquor from the well-shed, her confusion supports The Moral Dilemmas Faced by People on Society’s Margins. Reporting his behavior to Creedle would be the “right” thing to do, but she cannot know if Creedle will believe her; further, Frank threatened to harm Dalton if Matilda tells anyone. Keeping quiet protects Frank and her father, in theory, while reporting Frank’s actions poses a greater risk to her and her loved ones than it does to Frank.

“Sitting on the rock ledge embedded high in the sloped bank, Matilda let the wildness of the gully embrace her.”

The setting of Natchez Trace figures largely in the text. Here, the setting is personified as a friend or comforter, one who would put its arms around Matilda when she needs support. Her relationship with the swamp is very different from Ada’s.

“She had done it to save his daughter’s life, a fact that brought her both redemption and defeat.”

Matilda feels conflicted about her reasons for killing Virgil. She realizes she didn’t kill him because he killed her father and baby sister; she did it because he was about to kill Ada. This makes her feel somewhat redeemed for the action because Ada didn’t deserve to die, but it also makes her feel defeated because she hasn’t avenged her family.

“‘How’d you learn to do it?’ [Ada asked.] ‘By doing it. Because it had to be done. Maybe you ought to take a turn doing some of the things you think I just know about.’”

Matilda pushes Ada to become more self-sufficient. She cannot simply remain helpless and allow others to determine the course of her life, whether it’s Jesse, Virgil, or even Matilda. Ada is amazed that Matilda has taught herself so much of what she knows, not realizing that her own helplessness is a symptom of her racial privilege; she’s been able to rely on others and hasn’t had to learn to shift for herself.

“If Matilda was beginning to feel like a sister, Gertie was the grandmother in Ada’s imaginary scenario.”

This description shows how little Ada understands about the complex dynamic between her and Matilda and between white people and Black people. Matilda and Gertie are not her relatives, and they have had to deal with a number of hardships that Ada has not had to face. Ada’s lack of understanding is one of the reasons Matilda leaves her.

“For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. —Frederick Douglass.”

Mr. Moser includes this quotation from a formerly enslaved man, Frederick Douglass, when he sends Matilda his newspaper. It employs metaphors for the strength needed to overcome racism and injustice, comparing that strength to fire instead of light, to thunder instead of rain. The struggle for equality demands big forces, not small gestures. This helps to inspire Matilda to continue her writing despite the danger it poses to her.

“Ada was hoping for together. But it wasn’t hope soaked in her old desperation. When she looked back at everything she had been able to overcome and the events of the last two days, she felt sure that she would be able to handle whatever the future might hold. She gave her thoughts free rein to venture there.”

This quotation, very near the end of the text, demonstrates the extent of Ada’s dynamism. She would like to remain with Matilda, but she doesn’t have to. She has developed the self-confidence to know that she can survive on her own, and that is a huge development for her.