The Four Winds

Elsa’s character arc follows a well-worn path, although no less engaging for its familiarity. A gangly, awkward spinster with no self-confidence, Elsa is forced by her circumstances to find the strength and courage she never knew she had and confront a life marred by seemingly endless tragedy. Unloved by her family, she falls for the sweet words of Rafe, a younger man who woos her but is not ready for the responsibility of fatherhood. While Rafe runs away from those responsibilities, Elsa faces them head-on. Her love of the Martinelli farm—as well as the Martinellis themselves—buttresses her in times of hardship. A solitary child unused to the company of others, Elsa learns the power of having a support network, a lesson reinforced by Jean Dewey and other migrants in the squatters’ camp. Time and again, when life threatens to overwhelm her, Elsa finds strength in those around her. Interestingly, Elsa believes herself a failure as a mother for her inability to pull her family out of poverty, but Loreda’s perspective is quite different. She understands the impossible odds her mother faces and the sheer tenacity it takes to simply keep the family together and put food on the table.