The Elements Of Nature In William Shakespeare's A Thousand Acres

Nature is the basis of everything that is on our own earth and beyond the limits of our universe.. It is through nature that we are able to exist in the first place, and it is through nature that we can continue to live. In “King Lear” by William Shakespeare and “A Thousand Acres” by Jane Smiley, the authors both illustrate just how important nature really is in the world through actions of Goneril and Ginny. Even though “A Thousand Acres” is a modern retelling of the famous “King Lear,” both authors bring out the elements of nature, which in turn echoes the themes of both the play and the novel. First of all, the theme of nature plays a crucial role in both stories when the authors both depict the events of both stories without the mother.

However, since the mother is missing during the key development points, such as teen years, of Ginny, the effect is the same because she did not get to grow up properly. The difference between the Ginny is that she is not just purely evil because she has a reason to hate her father. Notably, Rose tells Ginny that, "He was having sex with you... After he stopped going in to you, he started coming in to me, and those are the things he said to me, and that 's what we did. We had sex in my bed" (Smiley 189-190). In this quote, Rose is trying to convince Ginny that they cannot show mercy to their father because of the way he treated them when they were teenagers. Rose reminded Ginny of how Larry took advantage of them sexually and the other wrong doings. Additionally, what Rose also mentions is that the sexual acts were a direct effect of the fact that the mother died. With Larry being lonely and no one to satisfy his needs, he took advantage of Ginny. When Rose said this to Ginny, Ginny could not remember properly if it really happened because it was a painful part of her life so she had bottled the memories away. However, she remembers soon and begins to hate her father. Her thoughts are reflected in her actions when she tries hard to feel annoyed by Larry 's actions, and when she stands up for herself when Larry starts cursing her out. If Ginny’s mother would have still been alive, then she would be there to protect her and teach her values of right and wrong. The inhumane actions of Larry would also not have occurred in the first place because he would not have been lonely; and therefore would not need to have sex with Ginny. However since she died, Ginny was left vulnerable at her teenage years and it scarred her for