Emotional Fundamentalism in River of Earth Essay -- Literary Analysis

James soothes River of Earth presents the bleak realities faced by an Appalachian family that struggles with meeting their most basic brings. The Baldridges struggle with poverty is surely vocalization of many Appalachian families during the Depression era. The hardships of poverty, and its psychological and physical effects, are worsen by the isolation and sense of helplessness felt by the characters indoors River of Earth. trust functions as the combatant to these struggles the form of Christianity offered by however strays from the modular fundamentalist fire-and-brimstone preachings often associated with evangelism in the Appalachian region. Instead, a more aflame form of fundamentalism is effect. Religion is a positive, empowering force that is both spiritually and socially freeing for the otherwise repressed and isolated characters within the novel.Within the text, Still offers little escape for the characters. They are grounded and focused on the realities at hand. t hither is little indulgence in fanciful things or things not of this world. Religion is one of the few escapes the characters are allowed. Still does not offer a standard fundamentalist take on Christianity, despite the strong fundamentalist strains that are often associated with Appalachia. Generally, fundamentalism strongly emphasizes innate depravity and the damnation sinners face. Instead, Still lightens the message. Sermons on hope, grace, and mercy are extended to the characters. Through this more forgive variety of Christianity, the characters are able to look forward to an eternal macrocosm without adding any more stress to their current existences. It is suggested there is a object in Appalachia to lean towards forms of Christianity that pe... ...tianity that thoroughly responded to the needs of individuals. The isolation and desperation found in Depression-era rural Appalachia greatly influenced the type of Christianity that involved in the region. The need for society , community, control, and most significantly, optimism, spawned a form of Christianity that was both social and accommodating to mass medium emotional needs. Works CitedPhotiadis, John D., and John F. Schnabel. Religion A long-lived Institution In A Changing Appalachia. Review Of Religious look into 19.1 (1977) 32. Academic Search Complete. Web. 3 Apr. 2012.Still, James. River of Earth. Lexington The University of Kentucky Press, 1978. PrintTillich, Paul. Paul Tillich on the method acting of Correlation. The Christian Theology Reader. Ed. Alister McGrath. West Sussex Wiley-Blackwell, 2011, 43-46. Print..