Young Jimmy Marlow did not ask to be born in the dark holler of Tennessee. He didn't ask to be born to a mother who would hold disdain for him because his father left them penniless for another woman.
At a very young age, he would have to learn how to survive in the cruel wilderness and learn how to feed himself.
Being poor and hungry caused survival instincts to kick in, but there was something else. It was as if someone had a plan for him. Someone kept a protective hand on him. It was if he somehow knew that there was a better life out there that he was going to experience.