57 pages • 1 hour read
Kent HarufPlainsong
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1999A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Cattle
The cattle—in particular, those on the McPheron farm—represent both the latent knowledge of the previous generations and the struggle to come to terms with the future.
The McPheron brothers are introduced to the narrative through their cattle: “They had the cattle in the corral already” (64). An introduction to the McPherons is as good as an introduction to the cattle and vice versa. The two brothers live an isolated life, and taking care of their herd is one of their only commitments. They meet with Guthrie, Bobby, and Ike, who help to vaccinate the herd of pregnant cows. The process is long, arduous, and invasive. However, for those who are practiced, it is very familiar. They load their truck “without saying anything” (64) and operate on an almost-silent instinct. There is no need for Raymond or Harold to tell the other what to do when it comes to corralling the cattle, as both know exactly what to expect. This is their world, and they move through it with a confidence that can only come from experience. They are informed, quiet, experienced, and confident. Their knowledge of the old, familiar world will be juxtaposed with their inability to navigate the introduction of Victoria and her baby.
Victoria’s pregnancy is a life-changing moment for the McPheron brothers. Lifelong bachelors, they have never had to deal with anything of this nature, at least in the human sphere. When they take Victoria into their home, the only point of reference which they have for her occasional problems is cattle. They share these analogies with one another, though often hide them from Victoria (so as not to offend her by comparing her to a cow.) At first, they “can’t even imagine” (120) the needs and requirements of a young girl, though they admit that “maybe [they’ll] have to learn” (120). Later, they discuss the “natures” (181) of young girls and reason with one another by comparing Victoria’s behavior with “a two-year-old heifer that’s carrying a calf” (181). This is their point of reference; their knowledge of the old-world contrasts with the strangeness of their new circumstances. Both admit, however, that “she’s a girl, for christsakes. She’s not a cow. You can’t rate girls and cows together” (182).
When Victoria returns from Denver, the relationship between her and the brothers has evolved. They are more comfortable with one another and more familiar with their boundaries and needs. As they drive Victoria to the hospital, Raymond invents a story about a “heifer we had one time that was carrying a calf” (271). The cow gets injured, and the baby is born fine; the story is meant to comfort Victoria. Harold sits in silence, later confronting Raymond for making up the story. By this time, the use of cattle as a symbol illustrates the way in which the relationship has grown. Raymond is no longer worried about insulting Victoria; he only wants to help her instead. His old-world knowledge comforts Victoria as the imminent arrival of the baby draws closer. The mixture of experience and youth creates a balanced, healthy relationship which is beneficial to all.
The Red Purse
Victoria’s red purse travels with her all the way to Denver. The purse is a symbol of her youth and her maturity: as a teenager, it is the mark of an adult; as a mother, it is the mark of Victoria’s old lifestyle which enabled her to get pregnant. She carries the purse with her up until the moment she tries to return from Denver, when Dwayne snaps the string and takes it from her. In that symbolic moment, Victoria leaves her immaturity behind in Denver.
The red purse first appears in Victoria’s opening chapter. After her mother chastises her for vomiting, Victoria loops “a red shiny purse on a long strap over her shoulder” (18) and leaves the house. In the purse, she carries “three dollars and some change” (30). This is her lunch money, just enough to feed her during the school day. Such a low amount suggests that Victoria is in no way ready to support herself; she is still very much a schoolgirl. Similarly, when she arrives at the café to work, she removes the purse and hangs it up. When she needs to function in an adult world, she must remove the purse. When she wishes to appear older and more mature—at school or at a party, for instance—she takes it with her. The purse does not represent adulthood or maturity in the abstract, but it represents Victoria’s impression of these qualities.
By the time Victoria chooses to leave Denver, she has a far better understanding of the true nature of maturity. She does not want to live with Dwayne and decides to go back to the McPherons’ farm. When she tries to escape, Dwayne chases her to the station and “got hold of her red purse and jerked it. The strap broke” (247). Victoria stands and looks at Dwayne holding the red purse, and “there was nothing else to think about” (247). She recognizes that the purse represents a misinterpretation of youth, that its symbolic value is not what she had assumed. She boards the bus and leaves the bag and Dwayne behind in Denver, thus imbuing the purse with a new symbolic meaning. Abandoning the purse is moving forward in her life and accepting a truly mature view of the world. She no longer values the trinkets and the affectations, but has come to realize that true maturity is about making decisions which benefit her and her unborn child. Moving back to the farm is a genuine adult decision, while the purse itself is meaningless to her.
Newspapers
Bobby and Ike Guthrie are introduced to the role of responsibility at a young age. They are tasked with collecting the newspapers from the train station and delivering them around town, as well as collecting money from their customers. This often leads them into difficult situations which they must navigate despite their scant years. When meeting Mrs. Stearns, dealing with the barber, or avoiding the death of their horse, the newspapers carry a symbolic meaning and often bring the boys closer to conflict, death, and other dangerous situations.
Bobby and Ike must wake up early to deliver newspapers. The depot agent, Ralph, notes their tardiness one day, and he insists that they are not “little boys” (20). To Ike and Bobby, delivering the newspapers means that they have a purpose and a function around town. They ignore Ralph and continue with their paper route. It takes them an hour, after which they go home, prepare for school, and check in on their depressed mother. The paper route is a cyclical journey; it always brings them back to the same place. In a structural sense, this chapter brings the boys right back to their mother’s room. They walk into the dark room, chat briefly, and must contend with the difficulty of their mother’s situation. They are no longer “little boys” (20); not only do they have the responsibility of the paper route, but they must deal with their parents’ precarious marriage.
Later, the paper route brings the boys into contact with Mrs. Stearns. Though she seems an irritable old lady (one whom they are wary of meeting), she takes pity on the boys and their mother’s condition. They deliver the newspaper to her and collect the money afterward. In return, she provides maternal support. The cookies she bakes allow the boys to forgo the rapidly-encroaching adulthood and responsibility that the newspapers represent. For a brief moment, they can be kids again, eating cookies and milk. However, just as the newspapers must be delivered every day, the boys must leave their childhood once more and return to the reality of everyday life.
When the children are away, Guthrie shoulders the responsibility of delivering the newspapers. While the newspapers represent maturity and responsibility for the young boys—who must deliver the papers to show their value—the newspapers also represent Guthrie’s responsibilities as a father. He shoulders the responsibility because he is responsible for his boys, rather than the papers. The newspapers symbolize responsibility and maturity by proxy: he must do the chore for his boys, rather than simply because it is a chore. The newspapers indicate that Guthrie is aware of his responsibilities as a parent and—even when it is difficult—he will shoulder those responsibilities on his boys’ behalf.
Related Titles
By Kent Haruf
