The Tobacco Wives

Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses miscarriage.

“The mother. She always said it that way. Like she needed to remind me—or maybe herself—of her place.”

Maddie’s reflections about Momma establish an important thread of the text: her parental relationships. Her differences from her mother establish Maddie as initially subservient and unsure at the start of the novel, and the physical distance between them when Momma drops Maddie off in Bright Leaf cements the relational distance.

“I fumbled with my kerchief, folded it in a big triangle, and lined it up along my hairline.”

The action Maddie takes to cover her hair represents her obedience to Momma and is a physical representation of how she hides parts of herself away in the beginning of the novel. The symbol of her red hair evolves along with Maddie throughout the text when she goes from covering her hair to letting it out, demonstrating her acceptance of self and budding individuality.

“Only MOMints are made with North Carolina Bright Leaf tobacco and mint oil to calm our fragile nerves, which means they’re great for expectant mothers—and also for brand-new ones.”

This is the first introduction to MOMints that Maddie hears on her way to Bright Leaf. It establishes advertisements as a central motif and introduces the patriarchal forces around which the tobacco industry revolves since it degrades women’s “fragile nerves.” It also situates the reader within the setting of this specific time period where advertisements like this were commonplace.