Erskine Caldwell (1903–1987)

God’s Little Acre (1933) is offered for free with Amazon Prime as an e-book along with a couple of other stories as a classic-novels boxed set written by Erskine Caldwell. The other two stories: Tobacco Road (1932), I read in 2019, and Estherville (1949), I have yet to read. Erskine Caldwell was quite the imaginative writer. You will pretty much find all things today considered politically incorrect inside these novels. I guess that’s why I find them so fun and interesting. He loves making fun of the “deep south”.

God’s Little Acre is also a 1958 film, starring Robert Ryan as Ty Ty Walden, Aldo Ray as Will Thompson (Ty Ty’s son-in-law) who gets a little action from both his sister-in-laws; Buddy Hackett as the fat, lazy Pluto Swint running for sheriff and has his eyes and fat hands on Ty Ty’s youngest, slutty daughter, Darling Jill, played by Fay Spain; Jack Lord played Ty Ty’s hot-headed son, Buck, married to the most beautiful woman in the whole wide world, Griselda, played by Tina Louise; and Michael Landon played, Dave, the albino from the swamps who gets a little action with Darling Jill. Can watch for free on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlRAXiMS0bA

This novel is set in the depression-era in rural Marion, Georgia, about 15 miles outside of Augusta. Each character has strong, obsessive traits, which you will see hints of in real life in some folks down south, and maybe in the hillbillies up in the northeast mountains. It’s all about sex and finding that gold.

Ty Ty, the father, is obsessed with gold-fever even though there’s nothing in the world says there’s gold on his property. For the past 15 years, he and two of his boys, Buck and Shaw have dug huge holes 20-30 feet deep and twice as wide throughout his 3-acre piece of land searching for gold. He set aside one little acre for growing cotton to sell, tended by two black sharecroppers, to help get a little money to feed the family over the winter. But, there hasn’t been time for that because they’ve been busy…digging for gold. Ty Ty won’t break dirt on God’s one little acre. That proves to God he’s in it for the good and it proves to God that he has a good heart. But, he also will move that one acre if he feels it’s time to dig there and look for gold. After all, he don’t want to go giving the church the mother-lode. Ty Ty does not believe in magic. He is strictly a “scientific” man, so when they hear about an albino man (played by Michael Landon) living in the swamps nearby that can divine a gold-dig, he sets out to capture him. They are so close to finding that gold, a little divining never hurt, and it was scientific, nothing against God.… (more)

Originally written in 1932, and set in the depression era, today's social climate would find this classic with its over exaggeration of the extremely poor and simple-minds of a southern sharecropper, Jeeter Lester, and his family extremely offensive and degrading. And if this was 1932, I would even say that this family may have been a bit "retarded"...but that's no longer politically correct. So, I would say they seem to be a bit mentally challenged or else they are very naive.

Jeeter had lived and been tenant farmers of this land all his life, as was his father and his grandfather, who had started out growing tobacco. His father found the soil more suitable and prosperous for growing cotton. Jeeter barely squeezed out just enough dollars to survive each year growing cotton until the owner of the land gave up farming, himself, altogether and moved to the city. The Lesters were allowed to remain in their homes on the land rent free, but the loans for farming were cut off and repairs to the homes would be left up to the tenants, which the tenants didn't give much thought about.

This story is a crazy twist on some peoples reactions to the realities of life. But, the fact is, the basis of how they thought and behaved during those times, even the wasteful, mindless spending of some of the poorest of poors, I believe to be true. We see it even today...all the time, everywhere.

This novel shows, in an exaggerated way, of course, the degree Jeeter was willing to stoop for survival. It was always a selfish motive, even though it really was about money for food. He thought of himself first before the other family members. The problem was he was lazy, always talking the talk, and never took any action. This was the year he would burn the fields, rent a donkey and plow and plant seed-cotton and purchase the guano. But, year after year, all he did was sit on the porch and blame the rich man or God for his woes for not lending him the money. He was not flexible, and he was unwilling to change with the times. All of his children, except two, Dude and the hair-lipped Ellie Mae, had left home for the city to carve out livings for themselves.

In this twisted story, an older widowed preacher woman, Bessie, age 39, marries the 16 year old, Dude Lester. Dude readily agrees because Bessie's husband had left behind $800 in the bank, which she used to purchase a brand new car and dangled before him, even though her house was so dilapidated and leaking everywhere because the roof was caving in and they had no food and no money to even put oil or gas in the car to keep it running. No one sees anything unusual in this. Afterall, they all see they may get a little piece of the pie. The car was trashed within the first week. But hey, they were proud. It was still purchased brand new and still ran, and she had her Dude, who she was going to turn into a preacher man.… (more)

A classic first published in 1949 - Kathyanne Bazemore and her brother, Ganus, are mulattos who work for ignorant, dominating whites in a fictitious town called Estherville.

Ganus works for the Singfield's, who are the most prominent and wealthiest in Estherville. One problem..they've got a whack-o-doodle daughter, Stephena, making eyes at the handsome mulatto. One day the parents left for church and she stayed behind. Stephena came downstairs and started her advances on poor Ganus, making eyes and talking seductively. He held firm. So she became stern and yelled at him to obey her. She told him to stand on his head. He did. And when he stood back up, she slapped him snd told him she didn't say he could quit.

She returned to her bed where she undressed and Ganus finished cooking her breakfast and brought it up. The girl is out of control. She advances. He backs away. Then suddenly, they are on the floor her on top and she's biting his wrist, drawing blood. He's screaming. The only way to get her off is to put her in a choke hold. She finally releases. Next thing, she's in bed crying that all she wanted was for him to hug her, and she got him to do that...even if it was a choke hold.

Meanwhile, Kathyanne works for George Swayne and his wife, Norma, who has left for the weekend to visit family. George has never been allowed to walk around barefoot in his home. Now that Norma is gone, his plans are to kick off his shoes and lay around all weekend with the freedom of just wearing his socks. But, Kathyanne is suddenly on his mind and he realizes just how pretty the seventeen year old is. He begins his advances on her and he thinks she's flattered.

You can see where this is going. Erskine loves to make fun of white people in the south. His stories are just off the wall and outrages. This is about as racist as you can get. It's too bad authors today don't feel the freedom to openly express themselves as Erskine does.… (more)