Lynn's Lifestyle Michelle Jackson Biographical criticism is the analysis of a work which focuses on the author’s life and how it influenced the piece. Gender criticism considers a work from the approach that there are sex-based roles within the society in which the work is placed. Examined from both a biographical and gender-based perspective, Loretta Lynn's song,Coal Miner's Daughter, is a direct reflection of her childhood and gender roles within the Appalachian society.

Loretta Lynn was raised in poverty in Butcher's Hollow, Kentucky. Lynn was born Loretta Webb in the early 1930s, while her family was struggling with the economic weight of the Great Depression. She grew up without electricity and running water. In the summertime [she] didn't have shoes to wear (Lynn, line 16) and wore flour-sack dresses as a child (Dunn). Her father shoveled coal to make a poor man's dollar (Lynn, line 5) to support his wife and eight children. Unlike some children who would resent their parents for growing up with so little, Lynn respected her father for all he did. Lynn and her siblings worked on the farm to help their family, but even then they sometimes [spent] the winters subsisting on bread dipped in gravy made of brown flour and water (Dunn). Although Lynn's childhood was difficult and she didn't see a flushed toilet until she was thirteen (Dunn), she was surrounded by love and affection. She said that they were poor, but [they] had love (Lynn, line 3) because neither poverty nor wealth were factors in determining what made them a family. The Webbs were very close. They loved music, and it was a luxury when her father surprised them with a radio. Lynn's family enjoyed gathering around the box to listen, in addition to their long tradition of storytelling (Dunn), and attending local pie social[s](Contemporary Authors Online). Growing up in poverty taught Lynn country hospitality (Dunn) and shaped her into a warm woman. Her childhood lifestyle, portrayed in the song Coal Miner's Daughter, illustrates Lynn's fond feeling towards her past. The degree of poverty she experienced is in direct correlation to the love and respect Lynn had for her parents, especially her father. This provides substance for the idea that love and true family values do not come from money.

The area of Kentucky where Loretta Lynn grew up is part of Appalachia, where over time the population has formed a unique mountain culture. This includes their customs and even language. There is no other region where five words out of somebody's mouth will completely affect another person's evaluation of their intelligence, their reliability, their truthfulness, and their ability to handle complex tasks(Drye). This lifestyle is shown in Coal Miner's Daughter as a prominent aspect of Lynn's early life. The way she pronounces her home town of Butcher Hollow as Butcher Holler (Lynn, line 2) shows her deep Appalachian roots. Almost fifteen percent of white [Appalachians], for example, have less than a high school education (Griffin, 10) since most assist their parents on the farm. Lynn remember[s] well the well where [she] drew water (Lynn, line 22) as a girl. Religion and strong morals are important to Appalachians. Lynn' parents read the Bible (Lynn, line 9) to the children and emphasized Christian values. The Appalachia traditions also include having large families. Lynn's Daddy loved and raised eight kids on a miner's pay (Lynn, line 11) and she went on to have six children with her own husband. Other practices are marrying young and remaining in the same town for one's whole life. Lynn married Oliver V. Lynn three months before her fourteenth birthday (Loretta Lynn) and never thought of ever leaving Butcher Holler (Lynn, line 25). This distinctive culture formed a system of moral principles within Lynn. She is a woman who values family above anything of material value. These life choices and beliefs are exposed in her lyrics, as she writes about reality, not fantasy.

Coal Miner's Daughter portrays how the Appalachian society embraces gender-specific roles. Lynn has respect for people who work hard. She says that her daddy worked all night in the Van Leer coal mine/[and] all day long in the field a-hoin corn (Lynn, lines 6-7). Lynn's father, Melvin Webb, fits the classic image of the stereotypical father figure. He is a hardworking man who provides for his family, even when money is tight. He worked on road construction for the Works Progress Administration during the Depression, but when the economy improved, he found a job in the coal mines (Contemporary Authors Online). This father image provides more than food and shelter, but also love/that's the one thing that daddy made sure of (Lynn, lines 3-4). Coal Miner's Daughter mentions how Lynn grew up in poverty, but that despite those experiences her memories of that time are positive. She loved and respected her father for his dedication and persistence in supporting the family.

Women also fit into a stereotype as the mother and homemaker. Loretta Lynn defines the role of Appalachian women in Coal Miner's Daughter. Lynn's Mommie rocked the babies at night/and read the Bible by the coal-oil light (Lynn, lines 8-9). It was a woman's position in society to raise the children, while the husband went off to work to support the family. Lynn's mother lived this lifestyle, as she was Irish and Cherokee and raised eight children (Contemporary Authors Online). Her responsibility to the family was to complete household chores. Lynn recalls that her Mommie scrubbed [their] clothes on a washboard ever day (Lynn, line 12). Another task for women was to fill the sensitive, sympathetic role when needed. Lynn's mother, Clara, would smile in Mommie's understanding way (Lynn, line 15) when the children desired loving care. Lynn learned this way of life as she was growing became a famous country singer, Lynn was the one who raised the children, not her husband. The role of women is deeply rooted in the Appalachian tradition and expressed specifically within the words of this song.

Biographical and gender criticism of Coal Mine's Daughter reveal the unique culture and spirit of the Appalachians through the life of the author, Loretta Lynn. The gender-based roles, unique lifestyle, and family values that existed in the Appalachian society while Lynn grew up will survive beyond their time through her powerful lyrics.