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A Thousand Acres by: Jane Smiley (Marvin Carson: Banker (Pete: Husband to…
A Thousand Acres by: Jane Smiley
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize
National Bestseller
Setting: on an extremely valuable farm in Iowa, in the late 1970s
About a family that lives on a ginormous farm. Everyone in the family has their own issues, that everyone else is constantly having to put up with.
3 daughters:
Ginny (oldest and narrator), she is married to Ty and has had 5 miscarriages. In the story, she has an affair.
Rose: (the middle one), she is married to Pete. They have 2 daughters; Linda and Pammy. Rose has breast cancer.
Caroline: (the youngest), she is the only one who attended college and she is the only one who doesn't live on the farm. She lives in Des Moines with Frank. Larry's "favorite" daughter
Larry Cook is their dad and the main character. He has many problems on his own. He is an extreme alcoholic, but has been building the farm up for years and years.
His wife passed away years before.
He was abusive to his daughters.
Larry has very different relationships with each of his daughters and peers. He cut Caroline out of the will and has a better relationship with Rose than he does with Ginny.
He raped Ginny and Rose after his wife died when Ginny was 15, so Rose was younger. They both were always trying to save Caroline for getting the brunt of it.
Themes:
gender equality, sexism, and sexual abuse
Revenge: After the climax (when the girls come out about being raped), the whole 2nd part of the story they are just trying to get back at their dad. As they are trying to get back at him, Rose and Ginny end up hurting other people in the meantime.
One example: Ginny tries to kill Rose with poisoned sausage for sleeping with her lover, Jess Clark.
Aspect vs. Reality: Many of the characters have dark secrets that they are hiding. Each character has a different image, but on the inside they are totally different people.
An example: Jess Clark appears to be extremely successful and gives off a really good impression. In reality, he is cold-hearted and selfish. Ginny doesn't realize how bad he is until close to the end of the book.
Overall Theme: From the beginning of
A Thousand Acres
, Jane Smiley makes it clear that behind each person's untroubled face and smile they hide so many painful secrets that are discovered throughout the book.
Allusions: feminist movement in the 50s and 60s
Women's rights
Figurative Language: In this book it compares infertility to "fertile" soil on the farm. (metaphor)
Symbolism: The father and his land
Genre: Domestic Realism
Marvin Carson: Banker
Pete: Husband to Rose, a lot like Larry
Ty: Husband of Ginny
Mrs. Cook: Dead, but is still talked about.
Loren Cook: Son of Harold Clark, brother of Jess Clark
Harold Clark: Larry Cook's neighbor
Laurence Cook: Son of Harold
Secondary Characters:
Author's purpose: Jane Smiley's books are usually written about a family in the Midwest.
She also was trying to retell Shakespeare's "King Lear".
Dialogue:
In Chapter 9, Rose said, "I have this recurring nightmare about grabbing things that might hurt me, like that straight razor Daddy used to have, or a jar of some poison that spills on my hands. I know I shouldn’t and I watch myself, but I can’t resist." This symbolizes and foreshadows the jar a sausages that Ginny uses to try and kill her in the end.
In Chapter 23, Larry says, "I flattered you when I called you a bitch! What do you want to reduce me to? I’ll stop this building! I’ll get the land back! I’ll throw you whores off this place. You’ll learn what it means to treat your father like this. I curse you!" This is when Larry's inside character really starts to show. This was right before Rose and Ginny talked about them being raped when they were younger.
Thesis Statement: