A number of murders were committed in the book. Do you think any of them were justified? If so, which ones and why?

A number of murders were committed in the book. Do you think any of them were justified? If so, which ones and why?

Is murder ever justified? I’m going with yes. Life should not have so much pain, yet Sadie had nothing but pain and sadness. When her husband causes the death of her child, he lost the right to live. How he died was secondary. I must say, the amount of violence in this book was unsettling. No plans to visit the Appalachian Mountains any time soon ??

While I won't go so far as to say they were justified, I did understand why they were committed and was pleased they went undetected and unpunished. When Sadie poisons the liquor at the end of the book, I cheered. I also understood why Gladys did what she did. These were two women who recognized their abuser and knew it was a matter of time before they fell before their fists. Their choices were made from a place of self-defense, protection, and in Sadie's case, retribution for the loss of her child. Other murders were not as understandable. Some were done out of self-defense, some from greed and others from a warped sense of justice and right, such as what Billy does in the end. It was a violent book, but the violence had a purpose and was an integral part of the story and place.

Well, I absolutely think that the 'murders' of Gladys' husband, Roy and Billy were true retribution. Other than having an angel from above come down and smite them (close to what happened to G's husband!), their deaths were justice - if not socially justified. The social system would have done nothing to help the victims and the beatings would have continued until someone was dead. I prefer to see the perpetrators dead.

With the definition of justified in the secular population meaning to have a good or legitimate reason, then yes some of the murders (the abusers) were justified. However, referring to theology, justified is something either declared or made righteous in the sight of God. With that definition in mind, then murder is never justified.

Is murder ever justified? Is retribution justified, except that we justify it to ourselves? Are murder and retribution (in other forms) the only ways to escape a horrific situation? I’d like to think not, but maybe it takes someone from the outside to reveal alternatives. Physical escape is always possible, if difficult. Abused women in today’s society often continue to choose men who abuse them. Would murder be justified in those relationships? Is that any different from the relationships in “If the Creek Don’t Rise?” I’m asking all these questions because ultimately my answer is “no,’ none of these murders was justified except that those who committed them justified them to themselves. One thing that shocked me about Appalachia in the 1970s was what appeared to be a general lack of a moral system, unless the characters in this book were not representative of the general population.

I saw the death of Gladys' husband as almost an act of God. She hoped it would happen, but there was no certainty. It was definitely an act of self defense, though, as was Sadie's suggestion to Billy that he take Roy's moonshine with him and drink it. Billy murdered Roy, but considered it an act of altruism, saving Sadie Blue from future pain. Justified? Maybe not, but satisfying? Yes.

They may not be justified, but they sure are understandable - as DEEH says, above, self defense in response to abuse. I thought that Sadie's actions at novel's end show how much she had changed by choosing to take Roy's life - and when that was no longer necessary, she offered the moonshine to Billy. I was saddened by that - guess I wanted to believe she could find a way to avoid him that was less violent.

Best Ending Ever! Amen...

Yes, I think the loss of Sadie’s baby at the hands of her husband and what happened to him is justified. You feel her rage in dealing with the loss and his death is more like karma in the end.

The death of Sadie's baby was shocking and evil and had to be dealt with. This shows the value of life in some cultures. Unacceptable by most. It demands justice and this culture provided it's own. As far as the three men who met their demise, Gladys' husband, Billy and Roy, they deserved punishment. Whether to the death is left up to the readers sense of justification.

Not that I support murder but I think Gladys husband and the other two guys needed to be punished.

It seems the local law was busy chasing moonshiners and couldn't care less about wives being beaten to the point where an unborn baby dies. This was the point where the people have to decide what is justifiable. In most cases I would say murder is not justifiable, but if God sends that lightning to just the right spot, well so be it. Even the good Marris never mentioned a word. Roy deserved what he got, and it was befitting that it was at the hands of his so called friend. Billy, well, if he was so low to take his friend's alcohol after what he had done, well, Sadie didn't make him drink it, he did it all by himself. Justice was served. I really didn't find the book violent, there was a great deal of love.

Nope...I don't think any of the murders were justified. I think before anyone takes the law into their own hands they first need to work through the proper judicial channels. I don't remember any details related to anyone attempting to notify the police of the abuse and/or other crimes soooo I don't feel as if the characters exhausted all options before resorting to murder.

It is difficult to justify any murder but in the case of Sadie preparing to poison Roy, I could understand it but at the same time, I was relieved that, thanks to Billy's intervention, she didn't have to go through with it after all. But then, she felt it necessary to poison Billy because she knew what she would be subjected to if he were to remain alive. Such choices the poor girl had to make but as Reene mentioned in her reply, Sadie didn't make him drink it so if he did, she could believe she wasn't responsible. The murder which surely was not justified was when Roy deliberately murdered his girlfriend because she cheated on him.

If you think of the killing of Roy as self defense rather than murder, it makes it a little more palatable. Plus, the author did a great job of making Sadie a very likeable character and Roy the epitome of evil so it is easy to forgive/justify Sadie's actions as well as the actions of the other women in the book that took care of their problems.

The women involved in the murders were at the end of their rope & even now the abuse goes on plus people get away with it. Yes I can understand why the murders or in Gladys case hope for death happened. They were saving themselves. The guilt followed her still upsetting her life.

What Roy did was uncontroled emotional rage, not justified. Including Billy in this was awful, but he had no one else, isolation theme again.

None were justified, but one can understand when a woman has been subjected to a long session of physical abuse,

Is murder ever justified????