The Importance Of Family In Plainsong By Kent Haruf

There is an image in America of what a family should look like: one mother, one father, a couple of children and perhaps the family dog. The reality of what makes a family, however, is much more complex. In the book Plainsong by Kent Haruf, the reader discovers a variety of families, that are made up in a multitude of different ways. While some of these families are defined by blood relation, almost all of them differ in some way from the traditional conception of the family unit. The reasons that these family groupings come about are as varied as the families that they create, but in the end, they fulfill the needs of the family members regardless of the existence, or lack, of blood ties. The first family the reader encounters is the Guthrie …show more content…
Victoria doesn’t spell out why she leaves the safety of the McPherons for the unknown potential of living with Dwayne, but certain inferences can be made. There is a belief that a family with a mother and father in the home is the best situation for a child to grow up in. And Victoria is trying to step into the position that society tells her is the best place to fulfill her role as a mother. For his part, Dwayne is caught between the ideal of being a traditional father and provider, and the desire to be a young adult who wants to party and live a more carefree life. Dwayne even convinces Victoria to go to a party, where she drinks and does drugs, and immediately feels regretful. When Dwayne again tries to talk her into going to a party and then tries to force himself on her after the party, Victoria realizes that this isn’t the type of environment she wants for herself or her child, and makes plans to return to the McPherons’. Victoria is fortunate that the McPheron brothers take her back. They accept that she made a mistake and bring her back in to the fold. They even protect her from Dwayne when he shows up again and tries to force her and the baby to return with him to