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Harsh Truths In A Thousand Acres By Jane Smiley

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Harsh truths: character development and family trauma through A Thousand Acres In her novel A thousand Acres Jane Smiley tells a complex story of a family farm in Iowa. The lives of these characters are changed by dishonesty and betrayal. Through her use of detailed characterization of Ginny and Rose, Smiley emphasizes that uncovering dishonestly reveals hard truths. Ultimately, we see how the characters must face the pain of the truth to move on and grow for the better. Smiley develops Ginny's dynamic character as she faces facts from the past. When Ginny talks with an older friend named Mary, she brings up Ginny’s sister having cancer. This conversation made Ginny realize that since Rose’s kids had to face the facts about …show more content…

Well Ginny and Rose discuss what actually happened with their father Rose says, “On the surface, I thought it was okay, that it must be okay if he said it was, since he was the rule maker. He didn’t rape me, Ginny. He seduced me” (Smiley 190). When Rose says “On the surface, I thought I was okay” it highlights the change when she dives deeper into the truth. Ginny and Rose were raped by their father after their mother passed away. Rose is filled with rage with the power her father has over her. Rose was “seduced” this means her father made her believe that what was happening was okay, This caused a delusion to Rose that hasn’t been disproven till now. Repetition of “must be okay” and “it was okay” shows Rose’s desperation to convince herself she’s okay, and the deep emotional effect this abuse has caused. This conversation with Ginny allowed Rose to understand the truth about the situation. Smiley characterizes Rose as quiet and gentle, compared to the end of the text where Rose is characterized as bold and strong. With this strength Rose is now able to stand up for herself in a new way. This is shown through Rose’s ability to stand up against her father when she comes to the truth about the prior sexual assault and says, “‘He won’t get away with it, Ginny. I won’t let him get away with it. I just won’t’” (Smiley 192). The repetition of "won't get away with it" highlights Rose's desire for justice as she discusses the situation with Ginny, leading to the revelation of the truth about their father. Rose's strong moral convictions are emphasizing her belief that someone has "gotten away" with something. Additionally, the repetition strengthens the emotional depth of Rose's feelings. Smiley characterizes Rose as determined and infuriated about the truth of her family history. This same idea is supported by a Washington post article that says, “And just as this

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