Where the Heart Is

Novalee fears the number seven because many of her life’s tragedies are associated with sevens. The first bad thing was that her mother abandoned her when she turned seven. In seventh grade, her best friend was arrested. She got stabbed while working in a diner and had to have seventy-seven stitches. When she was seven months pregnant, her boyfriend abandoned her at a Walmart. Sevens continue to bring bad luck to Novalee throughout the novel. However, sevens also become symbolic of good luck. For example, if Novalee had not been abandoned in Sequoyah, Oklahoma by Willy Jack, she would never have met Sister Husband, Lexie, or Forney. Seven is also the number of rings it takes for Forney to answer Novalee’s final phone call, and Americus’s seventh year of life brings Willy Jack back to Novalee, allowing her to find closure in that relationship.

Walmart is a central motif that highlights several of the novel’s themes. It is where Willy Jack abandons Novalee and where she makes her home for the next two months, beginning her time in Sequoyah. Americus becomes known as the “Walmart baby” (98) after her birth inside the store. Sam Walton himself, the owner of Walmart, comes to meet Novalee and offers her a job.