Hang the Moon

Sallie and Eddie’s father, the Duke, holds a prominent status in Claiborne County as the patriarch of the wealthy Kincaid family. He has a “rust-colored beard” (22), and is “so big, so beefy, towering even when he sits” (22). These physical attributes reflect his commanding presence as a complex figure who exudes charisma, charm, and authority. His ability to engage in the moonshine business while maintaining a veneer of respectability highlights his shrewdness and adaptability. As a businessman, he is unafraid to bend or break the law to achieve his goals and protect the Kincaid family empire.

The Duke grew up in the Big House alongside his parents, the Colonel and his mother. In his youth, he was “scrawny and awkward” (228), but he worked hard to transform himself into someone the Colonel could respect. The Duke’s transformation from an awkward boy into a commanding and confident man, underscores his resolve to overcome the perceived weaknesses that both he and Eddie share. This vulnerability fuels his determination to mold Eddie into a stronger and more assertive individual, to compensate for his own past insecurities and the Colonel’s disdain for his perceived frailty. The Duke’s journey also includes a forced marriage to a woman named Belle after the untimely death of his brother. His marriage to Belle was a strategic move to curry his father’s favor. Nevertheless, he found himself in many other romantic entanglements, including one with Sallie’s aunt, Faye Powell.

The wisdom the Duke imparts to Sallie and Eddie about self-reliance and presenting a strong front has both positive and negative consequences in their lives. His belief that “people choose their own fates” (35) underscores his emphasis on personal agency and taking control of one’s destiny, a notion that fueled his own transformation. Following Jane’s death, the Duke focuses on staying busy and instructs Sallie and Eddie to do the same. While this approach is proactive, it prevents the Duke and his children from expressing their grief. Additionally, the Duke’s admonition to “trust no one” (209) reflects his commitment to vigilance and caution when dealing with others. However, this advice reinforces the need to keep one’s emotions hidden. Eddie’s tragic end, caused by his family’s emotional abandonment, shows the repercussions of this deeply ingrained wariness. Similarly, Sallie’s struggle with the marriage and commitment can be attributed, in part, to the Duke’s advice.

Eddie is Sallie Kincaid’s younger half-brother. His mother, Jane, the Duke’s third wife, dies when he is only 11 years old. Eddie is frail with light blond hair and gray eyes. He has diverse interests, including music, the arts, math and science, and baseball. Eddie’s intelligence shines throughout the narrative, but he is withdrawn and “doesn’t have friends or pets” (45). Additionally, his physical health is delicate, as allergies and sensitivities limit his outdoor activities.

Eddie is introverted and reluctant to express his emotions; unlike those who seek solace from others during times of grief, Eddie retreats into “dark corners of his own mind” (83). His ability to shield his feelings from view, even in moments of profound sorrow, is highlighted when Sallie admits that she has not “seen him cry” (83). This internalization of grief and the emotional abandonment leads to Eddie’s death by suicide; none of the adults knows how much pain he is experiencing, and after Jane’s death, they only see Eddie as a means to control the Kincaid fortune.

The novel’s portrayal of Eddie’s despair reveals the sense of disillusionment that plagued him in his final moments. Despite his intelligence, talent, and gentle nature, he carried the weight of the belief that those around him sought to manipulate and mold him into something he was not. His internal struggle to resist becoming what others desired, and the profound loneliness that accompanied it, highlight the novel’s themes of family, loss, and the limits of resilience.

Faye Powell is Sallie’s maternal aunt who raises Sallie in Hatfield after Sallie is expelled from the Big House at age eight. Aunt Faye works as a waitress at the Roadhouse, which is frequented by drunk and often violent men. She also has her own business as a seamstress and hair stylist. Aunt Faye was, at one point, a sex worker, and has a reputation in the community as a “fallen woman,” a judgment Sallie notes she does not deserve. On the contrary, Aunt Faye is resourceful and compassionate despite her challenging circumstances, and she helps Sallie become an independent young woman in the nine years that she raises her.

Aunt Faye is worried about Sallie leaving for the Big House, as their lifestyles are worlds apart. Late in the novel, Sallie learns that Aunt Faye was the Duke’s mistress when the Duke was married to his first wife, Belle. He got Faye pregnant and sent her away to have the child. In the meantime, Annie came to work at the Big House, and the Duke began an affair with her. These revelations change Sallie’s understanding of herself and the complicated history her maternal line has with the Kincaids.

Aunt Faye is a survivor of domestic abuse. Wayne, one of the Roadhouse patrons, lives with Aunt Faye after Sallie leaves and hits her when he is intoxicated. After the Duke’s death, Sallie brings Aunt Faye to live at the Big House to save her from Wayne’s abuse and the doctors who want to send Aunt Faye to the Marion Colony for the Feeble Minded; instead of seeing Faye as a victim, the doctors assume her sanity is questionable. Aunt Faye’s story shows how society and the medical establishment treated women from lower socioeconomic backgrounds at that time. By the end of the novel, Aunt Faye is one of the core members of the new Kincaid family, a reversal that signals the end of the family’s misogynistic patriarchy.