Jacob Have I Loved

Jacob Have I Loved
Jacob Have I Loved book cover
Author(s)	Katherine Paterson
Original title	Romans 9:13
Illustrator	Rylea Brown,Dylan Hughes
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Historical novel
Publisher	Crowell
Publication date	1981
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	263
ISBN	0-380-56499-8
OCLC Number	7868696
LC Classification	PZ7.P273 Jac 1980

Jacob Have I Loved is a novel by Katherine Paterson that won the 1981 Newbery Medal. The title refers to the sibling rivalry between Jacob and Esau in the Jewish and Christian Bible, and comes directly from Romans 9:13: As it is written, "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated."

The novel follows the story of the Bradshaws, a family who depends on the father, Truitt Bradshaw, and his crabbing/fishing business on his boat, the Portia Sue. Truitt's two daughters, Sara Louise and Caroline, are twins, and Caroline has always been the favorite. She is prettier and more talented, and better at receiving more attention not only from their parents but also from others in the community.

The book traces Louise's attempts to free herself from Caroline's shadow, even as she grows into adulthood.

Setting

This story takes place during the early 1940s on the small, fictional island of Rass in the Chesapeake Bay.

Plot summary

This story starts as a young girl named Sara Louise (nicknamed "Wheeze"), struggles to find herself and to get away from the shadow of her sister, Caroline. She lives in an old house with her mother, her father, who is a fisherman, and her senile grandmother. Her sister has been doted on ever since she stole all the attention from her twin by being born sickly. She subsequently grew to be full of beauty and talent, and she claims far more attention than Louise.

Louise also has a friend named McCall "Call" Purnell who never understands any of her jokes. They go crabbing together and Louise surrenders the money she earns into a jar which largely funds Caroline's trips to the mainland for her voice lessons. Call and Louise then meet the Captain, a man who is believed to once have lived on the island, but had disappeared after an incident with his father that branded him a coward. Louise forms a schoolgirl crush on him, but he later marries Trudy Braxton, the local "cat lady," (and loon) in order to take care of her after she has a stroke.

The two most important people in Louise's life, Caroline and Call, both leave the island. Caroline leaves to attend a music school on her sure way to fortune and fame, and Call to support his mother and grandmother by going into the navy. Call and Caroline, Louise's best friend and her imagined rival, have become very close before they left the island, and unknown to her, begin a courtship through letters and during his leaves from the navy. Eventually, they are married, much to Louise's dismay. Soon after this Louise breaks down in front of her mother, wondering out loud why her mother, an educated woman, chose the stifling life of the island. Her mother recognizes her daughter's need and encourages her to leave the island.

When Louise gets the chance to go away to college, she almost misses it, but some advice from the Captain prompts her to take the opportunity. She aspires to be a doctor, but encountering discrimination, she resolves to take a challenging position as a nurse/midwife in a rural town in West Virginia called Truitt (which coincidentally is her father's name), hoping to make a reputation for herself that she can eventually use to get the aid she needs to continue her studies as a doctor.

In spite of herself, she begins to become settled in her job and life here and she eventually marries a widowed father in her adopted town. On one snowy night, she is sent to deliver twins. Though the baby boy is strong and healthy, the baby girl is very undersized and near death. Louise, frantic to do something about this young new life, endeavors to save her, going as far to put her in an oven door so she can be warm. She watches over the baby girl vigilantly for the next several hours. She eventually realizes she has completely forgotten about the baby boy and asks about his whereabouts. She discovers that he is fine and is in a basket, sleeping. The circumstances of this birth she has assisted eloquently remind her of her own birth.

She tells the family to hold the baby boy, keep him warm, feed him, and love him,just what her family didn't do for her. Louise has truly learned the meaning of love.

Characters

• Sara Louise Bradshaw

Louise helps her father through the crabbing season. As she grows older, she becomes frustrated with the unceasing attention Caroline receives and attempts to become more feminine — to no avail. After growing up in the oppressive situation of playing second-fiddle to her golden-haired sister, Sara Louise eventually leaves the island to move to a small town in the mountains called Truitt.

• Caroline Bradshaw

Caroline is perfect. Caroline is considered the "miracle child" because she was near death during birth. She is an amazing singer and pianist, and she is considered more intelligent and feminine than her sister. She tends to tease her sister, and she made up "Wheeze," a nickname Louise despises. She went to a music school when she graduated high school on her home island she then goes to Juilliard in New York. She marries McCall Purnell, Louise's longtime friend.

• McCall Purnell

McCall, or "Call" to his peers, is Louise's longtime friend. He married Caroline in the end of the story.

• Hiram Wallace

Also known as "The Captain", is an 80 year old man that used to live on the island as a boy but moved away. He comes back and befriends Call and Louise. Louise falls in love with him as if he was her grandpa.

• Susan Bradshaw

Susan is the mother of Sara and Caroline. She is married to Truitt Bradshaw. She is an educated woman who used to be a teacher.

• Grandmother Bradshaw

A very religious woman, Grandma can be strict and hard to get along with. She loves the Lord, but hates the water. She believes The Captain is a heathen.

• Truitt Bradshaw

Truitt is the father of Louise and Caroline, and the husband of Susan Bradshaw. He is a waterman. He is also a war veteran.

Awards
Preceded by A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal	Newbery Medal recipient 1981	Succeeded by A Visit to William Blake's Inn