Hell-bent Fer Heaven: A Play in Three Acts

Hatcher Hughes

Jan 1924 · Harper & Brothers

About this ebook

A melodrama set in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where Sid Hunt's return from WWI and his plans to marry Jude Lowry spark a deadly rivalry with his brother Rufe, a religious fanatic who justifies his murderous actions as divine commands.

Ratings and reviews

When dialect drowns a storyline I discovered the play #hellbentferheaven by playwright #hatcherhughes as part of my #pulitzerprizereadingchallenge , being the recipient of the #1924 #pulitzerprizefordrama . Set in the mountains of my home state of #northcarolina in the #postwar period , the story centers on the return of #sidhunt to his ancestral home intent to marry #judelowry , the girl he left behind, only to discover a religious fantatic rival with his own intentions to marry her. Using her family's inclination towards intense religiosity, rival #rufepryor likewise stokes long buried feudal hostility between the Hunts and Lowrys as a means of driving a wedge between Sid and Jude. The play takes place during a single rainy summer evening and the over use of dialect makes it difficult to follow some of the dialogue. That drama prize was given to a #columbiacollege professor by the university who was administering the prize over the will of the jury contributed to its obscurity.