Hillbilly culture is one of the few American subcultures that has survived for more than three generations. In Ohio, hillbilly culture permeates through the towns of poor Scots-Irish laborers. In Hillbilly Elegy, JD Vance tells his story of upward mobility, from his roots in this hillbilly culture of Middletown, Ohio, to graduation from Yale Law School. Hillbilly culture is a love of country and loyalty to the community that can produce both upward mobility, as well as violence and drug abuse. Vance uses the book to discuss the polarity of hillbilly culture. His upbringing promoted a fierce loyalty to both family and country, while at the same time, producing generational poverty marked by substance abuse and violence. While these negative connotations do exist within hillbilly culture, a great deal of social capital comes through this culture. The loyalty of the hillbilly people of Ohio to each other and to their country allows for an opportunity for upward mobility, highlighted by Vance’s personal story. The strongest and most visible aspect of hillbilly culture is loyalty within the communities. This was not simply loyalty to family, but loyalty to the community and the people within the community. Vance describes this trait, …show more content…
People who grow up in a hillbilly culture feel a duty to protect these things in their lives. A hillbilly culture can give and take from those who are raised within it. At best, community members leave and become extremely successful in their lives, supported by those who raised them. At worst, the hillbilly culture and bring its community down through violence and drug abuse. While this conflict is at the center of Hillbilly Elegy, the example of J.D. Vance shows that if there is a sense of responsibility to the community through its support, hillbilly culture can help someone to prevail through the tough times and thrive outside the