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Harold Clark
The son of Harold Clark, and the brother of Loren Clark, Jess Clark is one of the most ambiguous characters in the novel. Unlike others in his community, Jess seems relatively uninterested in farming; as a young man, he runs away from home, and ends up traveling around the world, partly for his own interest and partly to avoid fighting in the Vietnam War. When he returns home, the charismatic, mischievous Jess soon begins an affair with Ginny Cook Smith, and convinces her that he’s a good, honest man. Later, Jess also begins an affair with Rose Cook Lewis, leading Ginny to try to kill her own sister out of jealousy. Jess is the most charismatic character in the book, and yet he also seems to be a manipulative, greedy man—in the end, he abandons Rose as well, leaving her all alone on her vast property. Jess corresponds to the character Edmund in King Lear.
Jess Clark Quotes in A Thousand Acres
The A Thousand Acres quotes below are all either spoken by Jess Clark or refer to Jess Clark. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Book 1, Chapter 4
Quotes
At the pig roast, Jess Clark and the new machinery were Harold’s twin exhibits, and guests from all over the area couldn’t resist, had no reason to resist, the way he ferried them between the two, asking for and receiving admiration with a kind of shameless innocence that he was known for.
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Book 2, Chapter 15
Quotes
“Now that I’m back, after all those years away, I’m really amazed at how good Harold is at manipulating the way people think of him.”
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Book 5, Chapter 39
Quotes
One of the jars of sausage was close to the edge of the table. I pushed it back and looked at Jess again. For the first time in weeks what was unbearable felt bearable.
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Jess Clark Quotes in A Thousand Acres
The A Thousand Acres quotes below are all either spoken by Jess Clark or refer to Jess Clark. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Book 1, Chapter 4
Quotes
At the pig roast, Jess Clark and the new machinery were Harold’s twin exhibits, and guests from all over the area couldn’t resist, had no reason to resist, the way he ferried them between the two, asking for and receiving admiration with a kind of shameless innocence that he was known for.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 2, Chapter 15
Quotes
“Now that I’m back, after all those years away, I’m really amazed at how good Harold is at manipulating the way people think of him.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 5, Chapter 39
Quotes
One of the jars of sausage was close to the edge of the table. I pushed it back and looked at Jess again. For the first time in weeks what was unbearable felt bearable.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
