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Book 3, Chapter 26
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in A Thousand Acres, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
King Lear and Good vs. Evil
Women, Sexual Abuse, and Fertility
Inheritance, Land, and Memory
Revenge
Appearance vs. Reality
Summary
Analysis
Ginny decides that it’s time for her family to start seeing a psychiatrist: about Larry’s insanity, Rose’s sexual abuse and trauma, etc. Ginny tries to find a suitable psychiatrist, but then it occurs to her that she should talk to Henry Dodge (the local minister) instead. She visits Henry in his office at church, and when she arrives, Henry seems oddly young. He’s just come from cutting the grass outside, and he seems like a part of his community. Before he can begin his conversation with Ginny, Henry answers the phone, and while he’s speaking, Ginny walks out.
Ginny, far more than Rose, wants to repair her family’s problems using a professional’s help. And yet she doesn’t know where to begin. It’s difficult to open up to strangers, or even distant acquaintances, about something so personal. Ginny’s world is defined by her father and her family, to the point where she struggles to open up to anybody who’s not related to her (except Jess).
Themes
Ginny meets with Rose and tells her that it’s time to confront Larry about his abuse. Rose is reluctant to talk to Larry about the past, but Ginny insists that doing so is the only way to move forward. Ginny also acknowledges that everyone in the community thinks that she and Rose have treated Larry badly. Rose hesitantly agrees to talk to Larry after the Sunday supper.
Ginny wants to bring catharsis to the family: she thinks that by confronting Larry about his abuse, she and Rose can repair their psychological wounds. And yet Rose seems more reluctant than Ginny—surely because she’s the one who actually remembers Larry’s sexual abuse, and thus has been more immediately traumatized by it. What Ginny is asking of Rose is something hugely courageous and risky.
Themes
