Kent Haruf's Plainsong

Kent Haruf’s Plainsong was an inspiring novel about community and helping others out with their lives. The story takes place in a small town in Colorado, and circles around a chosen 7 main characters and how their lives affect others and how they interact. Tom is a married man who is very distant from his wife, which is a leading cause to his loneliness. The next character is Victoria, a 16 year old pregnant teen who has been kicked out of her home seeking help from a school teacher, Maggie. Victoria is depicted as lonely, as well as Maggie. I came to notice how being lonely is a common theme used in this novel. Maggie seeks help from the Mcpheron brothers, who are two old farmers living on the countryside. I found it interesting how there are connections between all these characters, and also how each one seeks help and helps others. Plainsong reveals the true beauty of the human species, and how working together can benefit everyone. Tom’s sons, Ike and Bobby are younger and have a rather loosened grip on their problems. Due to their immaturity, the two sons often wonder why their mother has disappeared so often and why she is acting the way she acts. Ike and bobby are two important characters to this novel because they represent the younger fraction of society, and Haruf depicts them as lost and confused, which in my
Victoria is isolated from other kids her age due to her pregnancy and social experience, The McPheron brothers are isolated from society due to spending their lives on the farm, which is an ineffective way of communication and fitting in. The two brothers have separated themselves from the town throughout their whole lives, and making no new friends. Ike and Bobby are isolated from their mother and Tom is isolated from his wife. Isolation could also be seen as the conflict of the story because all the characters solve their problem by reaching out to find others who can help