How Green Was My Valley

“He used some big English words I had never heard before because our meetings were taken by the grown-ups in our language.”

Huw’s memories of the Valley during his youth are already indicative of the economic and cultural decline which will mark his adulthood. The community cannot afford a priest of their own, so one is drafted in from outside the community. The priest uses English words, rather than Welsh, which is notable even to the young Huw. The Welsh language and culture are slowly being eroded during this period of English-driven modernization.

“If table manners prevent the speaking of the truth, I will be a pig.”

Owen is a quiet boy, but he refuses to hold his tongue. He can tell that the mining community is on a doomed trajectory, and he refuses to politely stand by, saying nothing while he sees his friends and family suffer. A generational gap emerges between the young men who want to fight against their bosses and the older generation who are invested in the status quo and the manners which they believe makes them respectable people. Owen would rather be a pig than be silently exploited.

“Then I heard Bronwen singing, quietly, just near to me.”

When Huw first wakes up after falling in the freezing water, the sound of Bronwen’s voice alleviates his panic and helps him to reaffirm his sense of self. He is confined to his bed, but even in this desperate situation, her voice is a comfort to him.