Why I Like Country Music

James Alan McPherson’s short story “Why I Like Country Music” was included in his 1977 collection of stories, Elbow Room. McPherson is the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, which was awarded to him in 1978 for Elbow Room.

The narrator of the story is an African American man who likes country music. His wife, Gloria, does not understand why he appreciates the genre, associating it with racist white people. The narrator explains that their cultural differences account for their different opinions of country music.

Gloria was born and raised in New York, while the narrator grew up in South Carolina. Even though they are both black, the narrator sometimes feels that they are as different as members of two different African tribes. The narrator grew up listening to country music and mastered square dancing when he was young. Some pieces of country music connect him to his racial heritage because instruments like the banjo have African origins. He also likes square dancing because the interplay between the caller and the dancer is reminiscent of some African dances.



The narrator then tells about growing up in South Carolina. He had strict, religious parents who didn’t teach him much about African American culture. He remembers being in awe of people from their town who could visit New York and other big cities to the north, but not really understanding why they seemed so different.

In his youth, the narrator is infatuated with a girl named Gweneth Lawson who goes to the same elementary school. Gweneth is from New York City, but her parents have sent her to live with an uncle in South Carolina. Gweneth is very kind and gentle, without any of the condescension he sometimes detects in people from New York.

Though the narrator is content to pine after Gweneth in silence, his teacher Mrs. Boswell notices his crush. The narrator has a complicated relationship with Mrs. Boswell. He respects her and feels motivated when in her class, but resents her for being too hard on him when he is timid or shy. He admits that she has recognized that he is a bit spoiled by his parents and treats him sternly to break him of the habit.



The narrator becomes aware that Mrs. Boswell is watching him when he watches Gweneth and he tries to defect her suspicions, though this does not work. Mrs. Boswell gives the children in class a speech about the changes their bodies are going through. She uses the opportunity to directly address some of the children in the class. For example, she asks Buford, a timid boy how he plans to get a wife if he doesn’t start to speak up for himself. The narrator admires Mrs. Boswell’s knack for getting the students to think about big questions and want to be better people without nagging or lecturing them.

Another boy in the class, Leon Pugh, is also interested in Gweneth. Leon is also from New York City and he is much more confident and assured than the narrator. During the class Christmas gift exchange, Leon pulls Gweneth’s name and gives her a present. On the school bus, Leon is bold enough to sit next to Gweneth and ride home with her, while the narrator can only get off at her stop and follow her timidly home.

On the May Day celebration, the narrator finally gets a chance to dance with Gweneth. He briefly describes the May Day festivities, noting that they are a welcome break from some of the other events in their town that are dedicated to Confederate officers and former slaveholders. The students in the narrator’s class are divided into two groups, one that will plait the Maypole and another that will square dance. Leon and the narrator are selected to dance, while Gweneth is put in the Maypole group.



The narrator tries to get his job switched so he can dance with Gweneth, but Mrs. Boswell is resistant. Eventually, the narrator gets his father to intercede and his place is switched. However, Mrs. Boswell punishes him by switching Gweneth to the square dance team and making her Leon’s partner.

On May first, the narrator plaits the Maypole, but when the time for square dancing comes, Mrs. Boswell notices that Leon’s expensive and stylish boots are not suitable. She sends him to remove them before he can dance, allowing the narrator to substitute for him. He is finally allowed to dance with Gweneth and works up the courage to talk to her.

He confesses to Gloria that it is Gweneth he often thinks about when he hears country music because he remembers that it was playing when he finally danced with her.