Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth

Betty is Smarsh’s maternal grandmother. Unlike most of the other figures in Smarsh’s life, and although “Betty had plenty of good excuses to become a bitter, cynical person, she had somehow preserved her natural outlook on the world: that justice is worth fighting for, and the notion of a better life is always worth a shot” (253). Like most women in poverty, Betty is a practiced survivor, which makes her the most stable of maternal figures in Smarsh’s life. She thrives in a job working for the Wichita courthouse and allows Smarsh to live with her and Arnie on the farm when Smarsh’s home life becomes too difficult. 

Jeannie is Smarsh’s mother; she had Smarsh when she was just 17 years old, becoming a teen mom just like her own mother. When she was young, she moved around the country with Betty. Unlike Betty, the stress of being a teenage mother and struggling with money changed Jeannie’s outlook. Smarsh recalls feeling that her mother resented her existence, and Jeannie would swing into deep depressions. Later, Smarsh recalls understanding how her mother was unable to express love, though she felt it deeply, as a result of her life being constantly hurt or fearful. 

Arnie is Smarsh’s step-grandfather and Betty’s seventh (and longest lasting) husband. He is the farmer son of farmers who works a relatively small plot of land in rural Kansas. His farm represents stability in the lives of many family members, including Smarsh.

Smarsh is especially close to her grandfather and holds a lot of respect for him. She names her imaginary guardian force August after Arnie’s middle name and the month in which both he and Smarsh were born. He is the protective, stabilizing force that upholds Smarsh long enough to propel her through class mobility. Arnie’s death while she is in college hits Smarsh particularly hard, as he represented hard work in an essential industry, agriculture, resulting in a life of struggle. 

Nick Smarsh is the author’s father. Like Arnie, he was also the farmer son of farmers. He is a kind father who teaches Smarsh that she must always work hard in everything she does, because the moment she stops pushing, she is liable to lose her chance. Although this is a noble life philosophy, Nick experiences struggles that eventually lead to the loss of his farm and his construction business.