57 pages • 1 hour read
Plainsong
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Summary and Study Guide
Overview
Kent Haruf's Plainsong was published in 1999 and addresses such powerful themes as community, acceptance and loneliness, as well as the effects of isolation on the individual. The novel focuses on several storylines and takes place in the high plains of eastern Colorado. The characters face daunting trials and tribulations, and many of their paths cross with one another.
Other works by this author include Our Souls At Night, Benediction, and Eventide.
In Holt, Colorado, Tom Guthrie readies his young children, Ike and Bobby, for school and checks in on his sleeping wife, Ella, before leaving for work. Ella is suffering from depression and confines herself to a dark bedroom, spending most of her time there away from her children and Guthrie. As Guthrie and his children struggle to comprehend Ella’s deteriorating condition, their homelife disintegrates, and Ella moves to Denver. Ike and Bobby are forced to grow up fast as they navigate their way through life without a mother figure to ease their isolation and confusion. Guthrie attempts to soothe his own loneliness with physical comforts, until he discovers a genuine, emotional connection with fellow teacher, Unlock all 57 pages of this Study Guide Plus, gain access to 8,900+ more expert-written Study Guides. Including features:
