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A Literary Analysis of “M.C. Higgins, The Great”

Tyler Bartley

Mr. Kemp

ENG3UI

Friday July 23rd, 2010

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LeBron James said to himself as a child, “I want to put Akron, Ohio on the map”;

Lil Wayne has the lyrics, “Born in New Orleans, raised in New Orleans, I will forever 

remain faithful New Orleans”. Some people call it their home, some call it their hood, or 

some their grid to which they remain loyal. It’s where, “Oh remember that time when

Jimmy knocked out his teeth,” or, “Remember when Michael got busted in the fourth

grade,” happened. Wherever “there” is, it will always be a part of you; a place you feel

 proud to be from, no matter how hard things were. A place where you can say, “Damn, it

feels good to be home”. In the independent novel I read by Virginia Hamilton, “M.C.

Higgins, The Great” the surroundings, atmosphere, and elements called home become

 branded to our backs; shaping who we are. Sure we all grow up and seem to be more

mature and wise and such, but it is always the tiny, two-bedroom condo; the weathered

high rise apartment; the red barn house on the edge of no where that makes us us. It can

also be the people; the old man that owns the corner store two blocks down, the nice lady

daddy always used to stare at working in the breakfast bar, or the quiet kid four houses

over. We like to think the past is the past; the past is the present and future of our lives.

Virginia Hamilton believes that our environment is the first item added to the box

of “me”. In the novel, M.C. lives with his family on Sarah’s Mountain, the mountain

named after his great grandmother. The environment is very alive and quiet; pools of 

crystal clear water, trees that branch to the heavens and a mountain side full of wildlife

isolated from the city. Due to the serene surroundings M.C. is enclosed by his entire life,

he naturally becomes a very calm child that is full of life. Environment in this novel has

shaped M.C. to resemble the nature of Sarah’s Mountain. M.C.’s father Jones Higgins

says to him that this is his mountain, “Will it really be mine – this mountain? Daddy says

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it will one day” (Hamilton, 2). His father did something special for M.C. to further 

solidify that it is his mountain; Jones made M.C.’s room inside of the mountain; a dug out

from the rear wall of the house. This symbolizes that he is part of the mountain, that the

nature of the mountain is M.C. Higgins. Sarah’s Mountain has painted who M.C. is and

will forever be.

The second items in the box of “me” are the people surrounding him. M.C. has a

large family consisting of six people; he not only has to take care of himself but the

others around him. The person in the Higgins household that has the most influence on

how M.C. presents himself is his father Jones. Jones is a stern yet polite individual who

gives respect to others expecting nothing back in return. Because Jones is M.C.’s father,

it is natural for M.C. to follow his example. Therefore he is a very polite and respectful

young man towards not only others, but himself. Although Jones is a very exemplary role

model for young M.C., he has a flaw. Jones is a very judgemental being; people on the

other side of the ravine, the Killburns, are considered witchy-folk according to his father.

Their pale white skin, orange stringy hair, slate grey eyes, and sixth fingers and toes

make them extremely unusual to the Higgins; the Higgins being Jones. This mentality of 

witchy-folk seeped into M.C.’s mindset and has stuck with him. His very thoughts and

 perspectives have been shaped by the Killburns, Jones, and the rest of his family.

The environment and the people that encompass M.C. in the novel have to be

 presented in a form that compliments its significance, which is evident in this literary

 piece by Virginia Hamilton. She is an extraordinary author that knows how to use words

to her advantage. Her writing styles can easily be followed yet it remains unique, creating

a perfect form. The novel is written in the form of someone’s life over a period of time;

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this allows the ability to show the progression of a character leading to the message or 

moral of the story. As simple as it seems, this form was used for a reason; reason being

was to show how M.C. became aware that Sarah’s Mountain was not only a part of him,

 but was his as well. This could only be of coming to M.C. over time, hence the form.

The surrounding nature, atmosphere, and people mould who we are as human

 beings. Whether our surroundings are negative or positive, they shape who we become; a

method known as the Law of Attraction. The Law of Attraction states when surrounded

 by negative or positive auras, we experience negative or positive outcomes which slowly

shape who we are. As I reference back to Lil Wayne, he said, “I guess I’m the voice of 

the hood ‘cause that’s who I speak for”; Lil Wayne speaks, lives and is New Orleans. His

childhood memories will always be with him; his neighbourhood will always be with

him; his family will always be with him.

When you’re old and reflecting back on time, remember the weathered high rise

apartment; remember the nice lady from the breakfast bar; remember everything that lead

you and made you who you are, because no one can ever take that from you.

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Work Cited

Hamilton, Virginia. M.C. Higgins, The Great . New York, NY: Aladdin Paperbacks,1987. Print.

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