One of the most interesting things that I noticed when reading Mudbound was the whole idea of “family secrets.” Throughout the whole novel, there seemed to be more and more secrets that were kept throughout the McAllan and Jackson family. It was these secrets that seemed to be the cracks in the families and was ultimately the source to many of the problems. This seemed to be a consistent theme through out the entire novel and relates to most families of this current time period. I believe that Jordan was attempting to show how devastating these secrets can be in kept hidden from those who you love.
The main person who seemed to have the most secrets was Laura. Laura’s main goal in life was to be the perfect house wife. Yet, being this stereotypical person that she wasn’t caused her to keep many secrets from her family. Laura’s character was probably the most interesting because she seemed to be a type of rebel for her time period. She always wanted to do what was proper, but at the same time craved attention and longed for a simple life. When she didn’t receive these things, she began to do things to get them. Thus, creating multiple secrets throughout the family. These secrets then led to many issues, specifically with Henry’s brother Jamie in which she had an affair. The secrets that went along with this little affair was a main source for many other secrets.
Jamie was another member of the McAllen family that kept many secrets. Most of them involving his whereabouts at night and his association with Ronsel. However, the biggest secret in my opinion would have to be the killing of his father. This secret, unlike the others, is never really found out or suspected. This secret that he fails to tell the family is one that will probably haunt Jamie more then anything else and weigh heavily on the family. It is perhaps the biggest family secret of them all and is what all of the little secrets were leading up to.
Along with the McAllen family, the Jackson family had secrets among them. The majority of the secrets dealt with Ronsel and his secret relationship with a women in Germany. Also, Ronsel’s association with Jamie and there regular hangout places at night. These secrets created tension between Florence, Hap, and Ronsel which led to Ronsel’s unfortunate run in with the head “White Folks” of the county.
Hillary Jordan strategically created all of these secrets between the two families to represent the danger behind having too many secrets. Other than racism, I believe that this theme of “family secrets,” is perhaps one of the main things Jordan wants her audience to take away from her novel. Obviously racism is something that is still an issue today, but not as big as it was in this time period. The concept of “family secrets” however, is something that is probably more relatable in our current time period. By having both of these themes together throughout the novel, you not only learn about the race issues during that time, but also relate to the families. This in turn keeps the audience intrigued and at the same time teach them about something they perhaps were not taught before.
I think that the whole concept of “family secrets” really made the novel more interesting. I felt that I was constantly wanting to see how the next secret would be created and if anyone in the family would figure it out. I loved how Jordan had the different chapters in the book be different perspectives from different characters. This allowed the audience to find out what the secrets were and what each character knew about the secrets being kept. It definitely kept the book interesting and more eventful.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and especially love the style of writing that Jordan writes in. I was able to enjoy a beautifully written story but at the same time look deeper into the story. I was captivated by the different stories woven into one and how each perspective led to a bigger story and meaning. It was a brilliantly written novel and it is definitely a book I would recommend to others.