Where the Lilies Bloom

Despite Mary Call’s insistence that she is “cloudy-headed,” Devola is aware of her surroundings and has no qualms valuing what she finds to be meaningful. Devola exhibits more stereotypical maternal qualities and represents patriarchally defined femininity; at the end the novel, Mary Call even compares her to their late mother. She is innocent, empathetic, and understanding; she does most of the cleaning and cooking in the Luther household, making dishes with thoughtfulness and care. She loves listening to music, the color yellow, driving, and singing. She does not enjoy the backbreaking work of wildcrafting in the mountains.

Although often described as “tender” and “gentle,” Devola is not a pushover. She speaks her mind to Mary Call, criticizing her for turning mean and cold toward the family amidst their growing hardships. She has her own opinions, as seen in the way she always stands up for Kiser Pease in the face of Mary Call’s insistent negativity toward him. It is apparent that Devola genuinely likes Kiser. She also appreciates the quality of life that Kiser could afford her and her family. She envisions a comfortable domestic life in which she, Kiser, and her siblings live together in a nice home with hot water and electricity.

Devola is underestimated by both Mary Call and their father, Roy Luther. Over time, Mary Call realizes Devola’s strengths and capabilities, and she decides to forgo her promise to Roy Luther. Roy Luther’s decision to not allow Devola to marry Kiser is a key element of the plot, causing conflict and tension between Mary Call and Kiser Pease as well as more hardship for Mary Call internally.

Romey is the only male sibling in the Luther family. At the young age of 10, Romey is observant and thoughtful; he is able to calculate the coming rain based on the sky, he registers Kiser’s absence due to his lack of chimney smoke, and he is aware of and appreciates the land’s characteristics. He is both curious and worried throughout the novel, his questions showcasing a hunger to understand the world as well a desire to make sure his family will be okay. He often asks Mary Call for reassurance and knowledge.

Without a parental figure, Mary Call often turns to Romey for support; he brings his own perceptions and insights to their conversations. Romey is Mary Call’s foil, and hence the authors use him to highlight aspects of Mary Call that she chooses to ignore, especially occasions when she displays emotion. Romey gives insight into Mary Call beyond what she would choose to write on the page. He highlights her weaknesses but also her struggles and humanity.

Romey is more outwardly emotional than Mary Call, a quality that she reacts to with scorn because she understands that weakness can threaten Survival in a Harsh Environment. Romey attempts to hide his emotions, but they often leak through, including crying and bouts of anger. He is the only character to show strong, visible anger toward Mary Call. He wants their situation to be different. Mary Call remarks that “Romey’s hunger for things we don’t have never leaves him” (28). This hunger is sated in the end in the image of the two siblings wildcrafting amidst spring’s verdancy and vigor.

Kiser is a 30-year-old bachelor who owns the land and house that the Luthers rent and work on through a sharecropping system. At first he is characterized as a despicable antagonist by Mary Call—the greedy, heartless employer who values money over family (his own and the Luthers). He is described as taking advantage of Roy Luther and as a threat to the family’s self-sufficiency. Although Kiser loves Devola, Roy Luther forbids him from marrying her.

Mary Call describes Kiser in physically unappealing ways. His brown teeth are a source of irony for her, emblematic of the fact that being well-off does not mean being well-kept or dignified. His rotting teeth are juxtaposed with the Luthers’ white teeth (they use natural products from the land); their teeth symbolize their resourcefulness and cleanliness.

Through Kiser, Mary Call displays her disdain for having to bend to needless authority. She makes Kiser into an enemy. Her perception of Kiser, however, undergoes fundamental changes. Through their interactions, she notices moments of mutual respect between the two, as well as complex emotions in Kiser. She sees that he really does love Devola and that his illness made him into a kinder man. Having to reexamine her clouded view of him is symbolized by the fact that, throughout the novel, she tells everyone that he is 40 years old; the reality is that he is 30, highlighting the inaccurate ways Mary Call has depicted and internalized him.

Kiser is often both amused and annoyed by Mary Call. He does not consider her beneath him despite the fact she is a girl and significantly younger than him. He respects her intelligence and stubbornness, while also getting frustrated at the ways she tries to impede him. He takes her seriously. He is also generous with the family during the courtship of Devola.