In the first scene of the movie, a man is shown packing his belongings and explains that he is leaving his valley and will never return. The audience is given a view of an abandoned, broken down village dominated by a large, polluting facility. The story then proceeds as a flashback to an earlier, and much healthier time, when the narrator, Huw Morgan, is a boy growing up in this same valley. Despite the retrospect, the image of the lonely, deserted town sticks in the mind of viewer as an ugly reminder of what is to come.
Huw was comfortably raised in a large, closely-knit family. He was the youngest child, with five older brothers and an older sister, Angharad. Huw greatly admired his father, who taught him everything he had learned as a youth. His mother worked at home with Angharad, cleaning, washing, and preparing food for the rest of the family. As a boy, Huw’s dream was to work in the coal mines like his brothers and father.
Huw’s upbringing was filled with wonderful memories and people. His brother Ivor married Bronwyn, a lovely young woman for whom he had great affection. Huw also developed a close relationship with Mr. Gruffydd, the town preacher. The family was happy, functioning, and full of love. There was a fellowship among the citizens of the town, where neighbors cared for neighbors, elders were respected, and general rules of conduct were followed. Respect, community, and tradition were all values with which Huw was strongly raised. Though easy, happy times did not last for the Morgans, these values are emphasized throughout the entire movie.
As his childhood went on, Huw experienced a great number of hardships that quickly tossed him into the harsh, adult world. The major struggle of the movie was the decrease in demand for unskilled labor due to industrialization. Because machines began taking over, human workers became less valuable, more expensive, and less effective. Accordingly, the mine owner began reducing wages, and later, laying off workers. This was taking place in other towns too. Miners from other valleys began moving in and were willing to work for less. Conflict and competition arose within the town. A major mining strike caused tensions between Huw’s brothers and their father, Gwilym, on top of their declining employment status.
There were many other struggles throughout the movie that added to the melancholy tone. First, Angharad formed a failed romance with Mr. Gruffydd, and as a result, the entire Morgan family became subject to humiliating gossip and false rumors. Also, Huw had a difficult experience in school where he was bullied and beaten up. In addition, he saved his mother’s life when she fell into an icy body of water on the way home from a town meeting. Consequently, Huw was exposed to freezing water and unable to use his legs for a period of time. Towards the end of the film, Ivor died in a mining accident, and the other siblings moved to different parts of the globe. Finally, Gwilym died in a fatal mining accident, leaving behind only his wife and son.
In this sense, How Green Was My Valley is a coming of age tale; Hardships bring a new maturity and understanding to the character, and positive experiences fuel the drive to continue on.
However, there is another key aspect to this film: the harmful effects of industrialized coal mining on town, community, and individual. Most obviously, mass mining causes extreme environmental degradation and pollutants. Economically, the working class loses money and jobs, as the work of individuals becomes less valuable. The wealth of coal mining lies in the pockets of a very small percentage of the population, so that ordinary people must find other work (if any is available) or suffer. Socially, communities are broken apart because of a lack of common culture and lifestyle. Many people leave the area because of the unpleasant environment or failure to find work. The results, as demonstrated in How Green Was My Valley, are distressing and unfortunately, very relevant today.
For Huw, it seems that the most devastating outcome of his situation is the deterioration of those values that were deeply ingrained in him as a child: tradition, family, and community. Ultimately, Huw is forced to leave his home as an old man and with that, leave behind a way of life that is important to him. He is alone, his home has been destroyed, and all that he was brought up with is gone. As an old man, Huw is partially reminiscing, partially lamenting “how green was my valley then…”
Finally, it is important to note that How Green Was My Valley is an American film that reflects a prevailing American mentality of its time. The United States (and the rest of the world) had come out of a depression about a decade earlier, and the US joined World War II that same year, shortly after being attacked by the Japanese. It was a very desolate, and fearful time. The entire nation had to cope with such struggles with no guarantee of hope or safety. This is what Huw did throughout his life. Things never got better for him, he simply had to learn to deal with his loss and pain. He was a survivor.
This was a very powerful and personal movie. Not only did it tell a beautiful story about the difficulties of maturing, but it also deeply considered the theme of loss. Perhaps it can be viewed that along with maturing comes some loss; Huw became a mature man by facing and handling hardships. Despite the sad ending of How Green Was My Valley, there is something to be taken from the conclusion: no matter what the situation, a person will always have their memories and personal values to guide them.
