Jayber Crow

Jayber is troubled by Cecelia Overhold’s disdain for him. Every time he feels the chipped tooth, he is reminded of their first meeting. Jayber is grieved someone hates him, but he is glad he is not married to her. Cecelia is a miserable woman who cannot find contentment in life and is always looking for something or someone new to excite her but is always disappointed. Jayber suspects her misery may be rooted in her childlessness. Despite being a part of the community, Cecelia speaks badly of others and goes out of her way to be cruel, nothing that “She could fill a room with hate just by walking in. That was her impact, the way she made you feel at first” (225). Jayber figures Troy and Cecelia are the most miserable and lonely people in town, weighed down by their animosity and pride. The community works best when everyone sees each other as equals and Cecelia refuses to live by the code. Athey is injured falling from a ladder, so he and Della are forced to move. Their farm is much smaller, but they can still live the homesteading lifestyle they value. Athey begins to visit the barbershop regularly. He does not say much but enjoys reading the paper. Hiram Hench makes a racially derogatory statement and Athey silences him with his wisdom. Mattie gives birth to another son, named after her father, whom they call A. K. 

Athey’s mom died when he was a baby, so he was mostly raised by his father and a Black woman called Aunt Molly. He learned everything he knows about homesteading from his father Carter Keith. Athey enjoys telling stories. He often tells them in pieces over a long period. Jayber relates a humorous story Athey tells about a legendary hog-killing when he was 12. The plan was to slaughter 24 hogs at Thanksgiving in two days, and everyone who purchased one would come to help. Athey’s father was away on business when it occurred. Ten men came including Put Woolfork who brings bootleg whiskey in exchange for some portions of a pig. He made a deal with Jim Pete, the maker of the whiskey. Young Athey spots the keg and knows it could cause trouble. The men begin to drink later in the day and make a mess of the hog killing, dropping parts in the mud and stumbling all over the farm. Dewey Fields’s shoes catch on fire. A group called the Regulators arrive, looking for illegal alcohol. The men are disguised but everyone knows who they are. They lock the hog-killing team in the stripping room and help themselves to some of the meat and the liquor. When they fall asleep, Athey steals their guns, hides them in the corncrib, and lets their horses and mules loose. Both groups come to blows and the hog-killing team wins. Athey’s father arrives back home just in time to run off the Regulators.

Jayber relates several stories about notable citizens of Port William like Hamp and Spiz McEndry, who died in World War II, and Focus Fanshaw, who survived a fall from a high wall after a night of heavy drinking. Athey once stopped people from poking fun at Woger Woberts, a man with a speech impediment. There is never a lack of good stories to tell. Athey Keith has a special kind of influence over people in town. People have newer, deeper respect for him in his old age. “He was (as he did say) a man who had outlived his time” (247). On the counsel of their lawyer Wheeler Catlett, Della and Athey keep the title to the farm and leave it to Mattie in their will. Wheeler despises Troy too, thus why he was left out of the will. Upon their death, Troy would become a tenant to his wife. Jayber foresees this will cause trouble in their marriage later. Clydie and Jayber attend a dance at Christmastime in 1954 at Mrs. Doozie Fitzgerald’s Riverwood Club. The couple enjoys dancing, drinking, and the festive atmosphere. Jayber thinks he might love Clydie after all. He spots Troy Chatham dancing with another woman. Troy signals to Jayber an okay sign with a wink. Jayber is nauseated by the scene, runs to the bathroom, and escapes out the window. He leaves a note of apology for Clydie on the car and tells her she can drive it home. As he drunkenly walks the 12 miles home, Jayber decides he will be Mattie’s faithful husband since Troy has not kept his vows. Jayber repeats marriage vows in his mind and resolves to never be like Troy Chatham in any way.