The Use and Need of the Life of Carry A. Nation

In Short

This memoir acts as both a personal history and a manifesto for the temperance movement. It chronicles the transformation of a woman from a quiet, struggling mother into a nationally known agitator who physically dismantled liquor-selling "dives" with a hatchet. Written in the heat of her campaign, the book serves as a call to arms for readers to join the fight against the liquor trade. It remains a fascinating historical document, capturing the fierce, uncompromising spirit of a figure who refused to accept the status quo.

The Story

The narrative begins with the author’s early life, painting a picture of a childhood marked by struggle and deep, often agonizing, religious introspection. Raised in the South, she recounts her experiences with enslaved people, whose superstitious beliefs and emotional religious fervor left a lasting mark on her own developing faith. She describes a youth filled with disappointment and a sense of being misunderstood, eventually leading her to a life of service and charity. As she matures, her focus narrows: she becomes convinced that the root cause of nearly every social ill, from poverty to familial neglect, is the consumption of alcohol.

Living in Kansas, a state where prohibition is law but rarely enforced, she grows increasingly frustrated with local authorities who allow illegal saloons to thrive. Her transition from a passive, prayerful observer to an active, physical force begins when she perceives a divine command to "fight with her fingers and war with her hands." She describes her early attempts to confront "joint-keepers" through song and prayer, only to be met with mockery and violence. This failure to achieve change through conventional means leads her to adopt more extreme tactics.

She details her iconic "smashing" expeditions, where she enters saloons to destroy bottles, glassware, and fixtures with a hatchet. Arrests, jail time, and slander from the "rum-soaked press" follow, yet she views each confinement as a further test of her faith. She recounts miracles—such as the healing of her daughter’s jawbone or the finding of a lost train ticket through prayer—as validation of her divine mission.

Throughout the book, she navigates the complexities of public life. She faces intense pressure from theater and circus managers who want to exhibit her as a curiosity, and she experiences the sting of betrayal from those she considers friends. Yet, her resolve never falters. She travels, lectures, and publishes her own newspaper, The Hatchet, to keep her message in the public eye. The final portions of the book focus on her efforts to organize a national Prohibition Federation, a political structure meant to translate the energy of her crusades into lasting legislative change. The narrative ends not with a retirement, but with a renewed plea for readers to abandon passivity and join the fight to "annihilate" the liquor traffic once and for all.

How It Unfolds

The childhood struggle The author describes her formative years as a series of disappointments and spiritual trials. She highlights the influence of her aunt and the colored people she knew, who instilled in her a profound, if sometimes fearful, awareness of God.

The call to action Working as a jail evangelist, she observes that drink is the common denominator behind nearly every prisoner's downfall. This realization, combined with the hypocrisy of the licensed liquor trade in a prohibition state, triggers her decision to take the fight directly to the saloons.

The smashing begins Frustrated by local officials, she starts entering saloons to confront keepers, eventually resorting to smashing their stock. She depicts these acts as divinely inspired, framing the destruction of property as a necessary step to awaken the public conscience.

The trials and temptations Jail time becomes a recurring theme, serving as a crucible for her conviction. She describes the physical misery of confinement while simultaneously fending off lucrative, exploitative offers from showmen who want to profit from her notoriety.

The wider mission The narrative expands beyond Kansas, taking her to cities like New York and Yale University, where she finds liquor culture deeply embedded in elite institutions. She concludes by outlining her plan for a formal, nation-wide movement to ensure that prohibition is enforced by the ballot.

The People

Carry A. Nation stands as the central, polarizing figure, viewing herself as an instrument of divine justice. She is unwavering, often abrasive, and deeply convinced of her own righteousness. Her mother, while mentioned briefly, provides the backdrop of a domestic life that Carry ultimately seeks to protect. Aunt Hope Hill emerges as the only person in her youth who truly understood her, serving as a vital source of empathy during her difficult formative years.

Her adversaries include the "joint-keepers," such as the defiant Mart Strong, and the city officials who turn a blind eye to the illegal sale of liquor. These men represent the corruption and moral decay that she identifies as the enemy of the home. She also interacts with figures like Mr. Dodds, a jailer who is portrayed as a man caught between his own kind nature and the demands of the political "rings" that keep the saloons open. Finally, she mentions various supporters, such as Bro. Wesley Cain and his wife, who represent the kind of dedicated, self-sacrificing laborers she believes should lead the movement.

In Its Own Voice

The author frequently cites the Bible to justify her radical actions, seeing herself in the tradition of the ancient prophets.

"God told me in this chapter that He led me to 'fight with my fingers and war with my hands;' that He would be my REFUGE and DELIVERER; that He would bring the people to me."

This passage reflects the core of her conviction, linking her violent outbursts to a spiritual mandate.

"The smashing in Kansas was to arouse the people. If some ordinary means had been used, people would have heard and forgotten, but the 'strange act' demanded an explanation and the people wanted that, and they never will stop talking about this until the question is settled."

Here, she articulates her strategic rationale, arguing that moderate protest is ineffective compared to the shock value of her destructive methods.

What It's Really About

At its heart, the book is a study of radicalization in the name of moral reform. It asks whether the ends—the protection of families and the destruction of an industry she considers inherently evil—justify the means, which include property damage and public disruption. It explores the tension between personal faith and the legal structures of society, arguing that when the law fails to uphold moral standards, the individual has a duty to act. The book is also a critique of complacency; it argues that institutions, whether they are local dive bars or elite universities, will inevitably decay if they do not prioritize the moral health of the populace.

Why Read It Today

Readers interested in the history of American social movements, the roots of the Prohibition era, or the psychology of religious fervor will find this volume deeply engaging. It provides a rare, unmediated look at a woman who defied the gender norms of her time to force a national conversation on a divisive issue. Reading it is an intense, confrontational experience; the author’s voice is relentless, urgent, and entirely devoid of apology.

Potential readers should be aware that the prose is heavily influenced by the period’s evangelical rhetoric and contains views on race and social standing that reflect the author’s era and upbringing. The structure is episodic, jumping between personal anecdotes, political arguments, and transcribed documents. However, these challenges are precisely what make the book valuable. It is not a balanced, historical overview, but rather a visceral, raw transcript of a life lived in a state of perpetual crusade. What stays with the reader is the sheer tenacity of the author—a portrait of a woman who felt, with total, terrifying certainty, that she was doing the work of God, and who refused to let any authority, person, or prison stop her from shattering the world she believed was killing her neighbors.