CoNtEmPoRaRy ChArAcTeR aNalySiS

Reuben Land was born to Jeremiah and Helen Land in 1951 with lungs that refused to offer him a chance at life. As Jeremiah put it, "God told me you were in trouble." As the father rushed into the delivery room he demanded from his lifeless baby boy, "Reuben Land, in the name of the living God I am telling you to breathe." This was the moment that his lungs first kicked in allowing him to start breathing and thus his life had begun.

Reuben was sick most of his life though there were somethings that helped. Temporary reliefs included whacks on his back to loosen the fluid in his lungs, and steam treatments, which also could clear his lungs.

Reuben endured the hardships and freezing wheather while growing up in the sixties. When his older brother, Davy, was outlawed and going to be charged with murder, he never gave up hope. Because Reuben believed in miracles the first time he heard the stories of his birth, he knew that he'd see his brother again. Reuben is led on many journeys when his loyalty to his brother and bravery to protect his family come into play. As detectives are within proximity to capture Davy, brave Reuben lead them wrongly to save his brother's life-if it came down to it.

There's a new mother figure in Reuben and his sister, Swede's life. One day when the Land's need gas they meet Roxanne Cawley at her house and closed gas station. This started the relationship between Jeremiah and Roxanne as a snow storm forces the Land family to rent a room in Mrs. Cawley's home. In a shorter time than most, this couple fall in love. Later Jeremian courts Roxanne and they get marry.

Davy was never found by the Feds or their intestigators, but he and his family were found by Jape Waltzer, a mentally sick man who Davy was living with in a cabin in the forest. Jape shot and killed Jeremiah and Reuben died, but miraculously came back to life. As Reuben and his father meet in another world, maybe Paradise, Reuben is told by his father this it isn't his time yet. And so as Jeremiah Land jumps into a river to meet the other deceased, Reuben comes back to life. At the end of the novel, Reuben describes the random ways that Davy shows up in his life. "He's the next man in the cafe, the voice behind me at the gas station."

First of all, Swede was born with great lungs. As she gets older she takes the role of a mother figure, taking care of Reuben and her father when they are very ill. Swede makes her 'boys' regular meals and always keeps the house clean.

She spends all her time, energy, and emotions typing stories of outlaw, Butch Cassidy and characters such as Sunny Sundown and Valdez. Obviously, some of her stories are directly related to what the Land's are going through and the outlaw or her older brother, Davy.

As a young girl, Swede endures more than a person should in their first six or eights years of life. She proves her bravery, strength, and compassion throughout her struggles to stay alive in negative temperatures, but also risks her life for her father and brothers.

Swede, here, in this novel plays an unbelievable and almost perfect character of all books. She brings hope and love to her family unit throughout her childhood, even though at a young age she was forced to mature quickly and wasn't able to grow up playing with toys and such. Swede Land is the guardian angel, sent by God for one purpose; that is to be a blessing to the ones she loves the most.

Jeremiah Land, a father to a little girl, a young boy, and a teenage son, is forced to raise his children alone through frigid, winter temperatures in Minnesota.

Mr. Lands' problems with Tommy Basca and Israel Finch started when he caught tehse oys in the girl's locker room beating up Dolly, Davy's girlfriend. As the Land's return home late one night from a hunting trip, they find tar spread think on their newly green painted front door. The last and most aweful thing the bullies did was kidnap Swede one night, but thankfully returned her safely back home. Jeremiah could hate no one as much as these two scoundrels for their attempted rape, kidnapping, and destruction to his house. So, it seems he shouldn't have been surprised when his sixteen year old son murdered both Basca and Finch. After the incident, Jeremiah felt for his son. It probably did not cross either of their minds, at the time, that Davy was going to be severely punished.

After Davy was outlawed, left the city as quick as possible and got as far away as he could, the Land's packed up and headed for North Dakota in hopes to see Davy again. As the FBI got on the case, things the Land's did made them very suspicious. For example, Jeremiah payed his morgage and bills months in advance prior to leaving, and he also left clues that allowed to Feds to follow him on his journey.

One day as the family was driving through a city, desperately looking for gas, there were many cops and suspicious cars parked near every gas station. Remember how Reuben believes in miracles, well here is the perfect example. The miracle comes when the gas tank never ran dry and the family drove for days without ever filling up.

Jeremiah becomes deathly ill during a period of time. He was diagnosed with life-threatening pheumonia. After a month or so, Jeremiah is well again but very emaciated, which worries Reuben a great deal.

At a closed gas station, Mr. Land meets his future wife, Roxanne Crowley. The family is forced to take room and board when they get stuck in a snow storm for a week. Later, Jeremiah courts Roxanne and they get married.

The end of the novel was devastating. Both Reuben and his father were shot and died, though Reuben was spared and came back to life, miraculously. What doctors could not figure out was why Jeremiah died, when is was Reuben who had the most complicated and deadly effects from being shot. There was nothing fatal that caused Jeremiah to die that day.

Davy, in the beginning of Peace Like a River, is protrayed as the All-American boy who enjoys hunting and the company his girlfriend brings him. He loves his family and being the big brother, and rolemodel to his younger siblings, he would do anything to protect his family.

Toward the start of the novel Davy finds out that two bullies, Tommy Basca and Israel Finch beat up his girlfriend in the locker room during a football game. Reuben commented on this saying, "I wish Davy had witnessed the incident. It may have put the fear of God in em(refering to Basca and Finch)." Now, Davy knew that Basca and Finch had a bad reputation in the town, but beating up Dolly surpassed everything the bullies had ever done. Davy was outraged and astonished that the boys would go that far. When the family came home from their trip, their door had been tarred, and now Davy realized, that they were coming after his family. Something had to be done.

The "third offense" as Reuben called it, was when Swede was taken out of her bed in the middle of the nightby these teenagers.

It was one night when Tommy and Israel broke into the Land house, armed with a baseball bat and the intensions to cause injury.

BANG! Davy shot Isreal first. BANG! He shot again, hitting Tommy. He wasn't dead yet, however so "Davy levered up a third cartiridge."

Davy was "controversially charged with murder." It is understandable how some would view it as protecting his family from hard that night, but on the other hand some would say there was no good reason to kill two boys who had their whole lives ahead of them.

Davy ran away and found a cabin in North Dakota where he lived with a psycho man names Jape and his daughter who he planned on marrying.

Though Davy was never found by officials, he stayed in contact with his little brother Reuben, who in turn related to his sister how he was doing.

This character was introduced halfway through the novel. His name was Andreeson and he was a federal investigator who "expected to nab Davy before the end of the year."

He knocked on the Land's door one day asking, "Is that coffee fresh," as if he came warmly invited and a friend of Jeremiah's. He was just the opposite however. He was determined to have Mr. Land cooperate immediately by saying things such as, "I know you don't want your son hurt," or using force in his voice when saying, "So when he calls or writes...just do what's best for him."

Andreeson tried to be sly but Mr. Land would never give in that soon to federal authorities. He believed his son did what he had to do and he was going to protect him now.

The fed kept close tabs on the Land's as they left their home town in Minnesota and started toward North Dakota in search of Davy. Jeremiah received a letter from his friends August and Birdie that said Davy had visited their house and that he was heading for North Dakota and thus that is why his family decided to follow him there.

Andreeson stays in close proximity of the Land's throughout the trip to North Dakota. One day when he finds Jeremiah at Roxanne Crawley's house, he convinces Mr. Land to help him find Davy, his son. Many searches were held, but only Reuben had been contacting Davy and knew where he was staying.

Andreeson got a lead and phoned a man by the name of Robinson and made a meeting with him. He offered information of Davy's whereabouts and this of course would lead Andreeson right to him; or so he thought. This Mr. Robinson, as Reuben put the pieces together in his head, was none other then Jape Waltzer and he was going to kill Andreeson.