Relationships in " A Thousand Acres" by Jane Smiley.

Bernadette Miner Miner 1
20th Century Fiction
Mr. Joyce
November 18, 2007

Relationships in A Thousand Acres

There are relationships everywhere you look. Events, personal friends and family, or accidental occurrences create or enhance the relationships and effect how it goes throughout relationships. The relationships may be friendly, romantic, or companionship ( for many reasons ) . In Jane Smiley’s novel A Thousand Acres, the relationships that are created have some dysfunctional value involved. When Ginny, Rose, and Caroline Cook’s mother passed away from cancer, their closeness with their father changed due to the sexual and mental abuse preformed on Caroline’s older sisters. Many of the memories that was finally revealed from the unconscious state of mind was so unbearable to remember that they brought out the truth the sisters were looking for. The truth was to remember what their father really had done to them, to close the circle of destruction and let them move on with new relationships or the reconciliation of the old ones.

Ginny had problems with her marriage right from the start. She had so much anger that she let life turn into a series of guilt-ridden events that she was not remorseful for. These events were her childhood raping by her father Larry Cook, the affair with Jess Clark, the five miscarriages, and finally the separation from her husband Ty. She unlike Rose was only cold toward herself and could not fight back. Ginny tries to reason with everyone, be forgiving to all and use all points of view in any situation. She became angry when she realized what she had endured as a child from her father. Over and over again her rage toward her father turned into self doubt and guiltiness with the failure of her fathers expectations. An instance of this was when on a stormy night Ginny stood mute and without resentment despite her father cursing her. Another instance was when Rose was talking to Ginny and saying, “ That was his goddamned hold over me, Ginny” (228). Ginny still refused to admit the sexual abuse felt, “ I’ve still got to hear what he says” (229). She refused to believe she was raped at any time until she lay on her childhood bed and having flashbacks from the past. The flashback was so shocking and disturbing “ That was the only memory I could endure before I jumped put of the bed with a cry” (247).

With all the sexual abuse and waiting on her father for many years, Ginny had a belief that pleasing her father at any or all costs was determined by his acceptance of her. For instance, “ It’d be nice if you’d stay” as she thought to herself, “ I always said this, and he never actually answered, but I was given to believe that he might stay the next time” (52). She being powerless, not able to endure and realize the trauma done to her made her take the easy way out in everything she had done. When Ginny went to her father and said, “ I don’t think you ever think about anything from our point of view” (188). Her father become furious and replied. “ I bust my butt working all my life […] and you think I should be stopping all the time and wondering about your, what did you call it, your ‘point of view” (188)? At the end of the conversation she sighed, “ When my father asserted his point of view, mine vanished. Not even I could remember it” (190).


Rose had traumatic events also. She was hit hard with the childhood rapings and breast cancer which brought on shock, grief and emotional imbalance. With the news of the accident of Harold with the anhydrous ammonia, she showed no emotion. She admitted that, “ Weakness does nothing for me. I don’t care if they suffer. When they suffer, then they’re convinced they’re innocent again” (253). She wanted him to die before her so revenge would be sweet when it happened, but irony set in. Angrily she said, “ I can’t accept that this is my life, all I get. I can’t do it . I thought I would fucking outlive him and he could have that, half my life, half my own” (258), referring to her father.

All the trauma she endured made her feel no guilt, no shame, and no remorse, just anger. The anger effected how her life turned out and also made her realize how powerless she still was. She pretended to act calm for most part. An example was when she was talking to Ginny saying, “ I am calm. If you say so. But it isn’t a surprise to me. I’ve thought about it for years” (207). Her feeling of little emotion had effected her state of mind with acknowledgement of it. An instance was when Rose said, “ Don’t make me feel sorry for myself. That’s the hardest. The more pissed off I am, the better I feel” (207). Rose never second guessed her thoughts and spoke her mind whenever, wherever she felt. She liberated herself doing this since she could not fulfill her revengeful fantasy on her father. For instance while angrily shoving in her chair at the church dinner, Rose told her father, “Daddy, just shut up. This has gone on long enough (236). Roses marriage to Pete was partly artificial and due to the protection of her daughters, Referring to Pammy and Linda. An instance was when Rose said, “ If daddy did anything to them, Pete would kill him. that’s partly why I stay married to him (207).

Caroline, the youngest daughter was the most beloved by her father. She was the only daughter that wasn’t molested. For instance, “ She climbs into daddy’s lap, and her gaze slithers around the room, looking to see if we have noticed how he prefers her” (331). Another instance was when Caroline and her father sat in the court room fighting to get his land back and Ginny noticed, “She held Daddy’s hand in her lap like a handbag” (345), referring to Caroline. Caroline had only love and devotion for her father. That love and devotion was set deep in her heart, not artificially set there like Ginny and Rose’s was. For instance when Caroline said, “ I’m right here with you, Daddy. You live at my house now. You can live there always. As long as you like” (347). A final instance was when Caroline, Ken, and Larry was headed toward the court doors and Larry was saying, “ She was the littlest thing. Little knobby knees. Little bitty fingers, always braiding her doll’s hair” (348), referring to Caroline.

In conclusion many misfortunes had occurred to the Cook family. The mother, and wife of the Cook family passing from cancer, the child molesting toward Ginny and Rose after their mothers death, Rose being diagnosed and finally losing her battle to cancer also, and the selling of the Cook farm brought the circle of destruction to a close, let Ginny and Caroline move on with their lives, and create new lives from the disrupted ones. The relationships that were is changed forever with the unconscious mind letting memories come alive and let the truth come out so all the family could move on.