45 pages • 1-hour read
Trampoline
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Themes
Environmental Activism in Appalachian South
Throughout the novel, Mamaw and Dawn protest a highly destructive mining practice known as strip mining, or mountaintop removal mining, taking place on the mountain where Mamaw grew up. Strip mining is a particularly destructive form of mining because it completely clears the surface area of a mining site, including all trees and plant life. It can also involve the use of explosives to remove large portions of a mountain.
The work that Mamaw and Dawn are doing feels futile sometimes. Dawn attends meeting after meeting where little gets accomplished. Mamaw confesses she dislikes the meetings because nothing ever gets accomplished. It’s an effort weighed down with bureaucratic red tape and regulations. Even the meeting with the state representative is just a formality so the government can provide evidence that they listened to the residents impacted by the mining. Later, the activists only earn the governor’s support because it’s an election year, and he feels pressure from voters.
While being involved in activism helps Dawn to see her ability to influence people, Mamaw and Dawn’s anti-coal activism is more than just the action that propels the novel forward, it also illuminates the tension in the Appalachian South between mining supporters and protesters. Denny and Fred, for instance, both agree and quietly support Dawn and Mamaw, but they can only do so when no one is watching them. Furthermore, the community often ostracizes those who support anti-coal efforts, like Mamaw, whose car was vandalized and another man whose dog was killed because he spoke out about the damage coal was doing to his property.
Nevertheless, Canard County is a small, close-knit community. All the citizens know each other, and gossip travels fast. Despite their differing opinions, they take care of each other and don’t let their opinions override their connection to the community. For instance, when Dawn’s car gets stuck in the mud on the way to the hospital with Mamaw, Johnny Ray, who works in the coal industry, drives her to the hospital.
Dysfunctional Families
In Trampoline, family relationships don’t look typical. Dawn lives with her grandmother, and after her father died, Dawn’s mother has an affair with his brother, Hubert. Hubert is an angry drunk who treats Momma poorly. Dawn can’t stand her brother, Albert, who bullies her and has no respect for her needs and space. Even Mamaw, who is often the only voice of reason in the family, is divorced from Papaw Houston. Family gatherings often erupt in fights and arguments.
The adults in Dawn’s family cannot handle the stresses of life well. It seems that no one has a stable (legal) job, leaving Dawn and her family in poverty. Many of the adults turn to drugs and alcohol to drown out the stresses of life. They make poor decisions involving Dawn, for instance, Hubert and other adults often give her beer, sometimes when they’re in the car.
Growing up in an unstable environment has serious repercussions for Dawn. She struggles to keep up in school, despite being very smart, and has trouble expressing her emotions, instead bottling up her anger until it boils over. Dawn’s pain is compounded when she remembers that it didn’t used to be this way. Before her father passed away, the Jewell family, aside from Albert who has always been a bully, was happy and peaceful. Her parents loved each other, Dawn’s father had a stable job in a factory, and even Momma had a business baking pies. Aside from Mamaw, Dawn has few positive role models in her life and feels that she has no one to talk to. She fears that if she doesn’t get away from her family members, her life will turn out just like theirs.
The novel hints that Dawn’s family must change before she can extricate herself from their poor behavior. Even with her burgeoning persona as an activist, the governor decides not to have her alongside him during an announcement because of her involvement in an accident her family caused. Likewise, she loses a job due to her family’s disruptions. Despite their negative impact on her prospects, Dawn chooses to stay with her family. All hope is not lost, as Hubert and Momma attempt to turn over a new leaf; their efforts are seemingly Dawn’s only chance at achieving her potential.
Community Versus the Individual
There are two main conflicts in Trampoline. First, Dawn and Mamaw must fight the coal companies to preserve Blue Bear Mountain, despite resistance from community members who depend on coal for their financial security. Second, Dawn must decide if she should run away towards a better future for herself or stay behind to help fight Blue Bear and protect her family, even if they cause her pain. Both conflicts are a struggle between doing what is best for the community versus what is better for the individual.
Mining is a highly destructive practice yet ceasing all mining in the region carries profound economic consequences, especially for a population already facing financial insecurity. A coal company might also employ a person suffering from the impact of coal mining, and therefore, closing the mines would impact their survival. In this sense, the fight to preserve Blue Bear Mountain from strip mining rests on deciding which side suffers the greater consequences. Supporters of coal mining fear immediate, severe, but comparatively shorter term, economic stress for a portion of the population. On the other hand, the anti-coal activists stress that the mountains belong to everyone, and their destruction is not only permanent, but it impacts the health and quality of life of people who live in the surrounding area.
As the novel progresses, Dawn feels a sense of duty to fight for both Blue Bear Mountain and her family. As word travels around Canard about Dawn’s bold outburst at the meeting with the state representative, Dawn feels pressured to keep fighting, even when she feels overwhelmed. However, when Dawn is presented with the opportunity to live with her Aunt June in Tennessee, whose cozy, artsy home is a welcome refuge from the disorder of her life in Kentucky, she must decide if fighting for her own future is worth abandoning the community she cares about. She knows she has greater potential to do something big with her life but doesn’t feel she can achieve her dreams if she is stuck tending to the needs of her helpless relatives. However, despite the pain they cause her, they are still her family and know her better than anyone else. Even in the solitude of Aunt June’s in Tennessee, Dawn still craves the noise and bustle of her home.
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