Reading over Kingsolver’s book, and studying my notes about democracy, led to some blurring of the lines this weekend. I realized that AVM’s rhetoric is one that truly reflects what our country’s ideals entail. Kingsolver describes the story of one family’s food-raising journey like Pollan describes the pastoral grasslands of Polyface Farms–an ancient, beautiful process that brings personal happiness, communal joy, and reverence for nature.
The idea that one can grow food on their own and create masterpieces with only a select group of plants for each season is amazing in its rediscovered significance–and is this sense of independence not part of our nation’s dialogue, as it has been for centuries? The immigration of various groups to the US meant that there was no previous ethnic bloodline (although “white” became the majority later on). The people came from their respective backgrounds, buying into the American creed of hard work, sacrifice, liberty, freedom, and equality. This has carried us through the decades as a liberal democracy.
But like the Horatio Alger stories where, for example, a dishwasher could rise to the top as an executive, these ideals have become more myth than truth. People are constrained by the demanding hours of an intense professional life, and for the poor, one that requires a pricey education for credibility. So while these ideals are still present, they are utilized in the sense that large corporations–in this case, growers of corn and producers of processed food–have “liberty” and the “freedom” to sell their products. But as Pollan has recited in his works, buying food today relies on ignorance and absent minded consumption. It doesn’t reflect the real cost–to the poor, who do not have the freedom to buy quality produce, or to the environment, which is not treated equally. It is a sacrifice, but not for the advancement of one’s career.
Kingsolver conveys the idea that one can be truly American again; being in the Appalachian mountains of the South illustrates a patriotic, down-home sense. Her family, in raising these crops, achieves freedom from oppression by the giant conglomerates. They sacrifice and work hard to achieve these goals, and the equality among consumers that was lost so long ago to the commodities of corn and cheap calories is now balanced at the farmer’s market. The “miracle” of this book is that it underlines our American values so well–Kingsolver’s pathos makes her happy to cook; prideful in her crops’ sustainment from start to finish. It is universal for humanity–and simultaneously an embodiment of American values.
