The Salt Eaters

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Set in a small city in southern Georgia, The Salt Eaters is an intricate portrait of a community struggling with issues of people's own health and worldwide use of nuclear power. The people search for the healing properties of salt and an understanding that healing starts from the personal acceptance of being ill and therefore need to be healed. The novel is centered around the story of a young woman, Velma who tries to commit suicide, and her healing takes a long time because first she needs to be convinced that that she needs to accept the fact that she needs to be cured. The author uses a lot of symbols in the book, which will be discussed in the next paragraph.

In the beginning of the story there is the issue of trying to convince Velma, the main character, that she is ill. There is another entity trying to help Velma through this first step of the healing process beside Minnie Ransom and this entity is known as the Mud Mothers. The Mud mothers are in the story as spiritual guides to Velma, they are trying to get her to understand the fact that she is sick and needs help. The mud mothers symbolize the richness of the earth and its protecting spirit, even though Velma views the mud mothers as a haunting spirit and a frightening figure they have come into her life to help her become well. This misunderstanding also shows how confused Velma is at the time, she does not she that the mud mothers are trying to lead her into a better state, but she fears them instead. Then there is the grain of sand that Velma sees her as. By her seeing herself as a grain of sand in an hour glass she is saying that she is feeling defenseless, as if the most insignificant animal can walk all over her and there is nothing that she can do about it in any way. Velma also thinks of the hour glass which is her protection from the outside world and everything that could possibly harm her. Inside this class she can move peacefully from place to place and feel safe. Then of course there is the title symbol of salt. Salt is a symbol of healing, purification, and of danger.

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