Jacob

Jacob is a Black man in his sixties who is in failing health. He was born in rural Arkansas and raised by his grandparents while working on the farm. Jacob’s grandparents were not overly affectionate with him, preferring to teach him through the virtue of hard work. He was very close to his grandmother and she taught him how to cook and bake. He learned everything he knew about what it meant to be masculine and strong from his stoic grandfather. Jacob’s father killed his mother, and the weight of this story stayed with him for his entire life. He was even violent on occasion with his own ex-wife, and it can be inferred from the shame he felt as a result that he did not want to be seen as a man like his father.

When Jacob met Rachel and decided to marry and have...