Resilience is the ability to resist stress and trauma. Plainsong, by Kent Haruf, is an impeccable portrait of the resilience individuals need to overcome adversity. This adversity defines each character's life, as they must fight to overcome difficulties. People don't accumulate the same life experiences, so incorporating the lives of seven characters offers a relatable perspective in understanding such life struggles. By seeing how these characters adapt to the different problems presented to them, we can better understand our ability to adapt to stressful events. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Plainsong is set in Holt, Colorado, a land less densely populated than most readers would ever imagine. Told from the point of view of an omniscient third-person narrator, it is divided into individual chapters, and each chapter has a title named after one of the novel's characters. The novel is made up of half a dozen characters, all facing great adversity, and each will have to learn to accept change. However, these conflicts end up intertwined, as the characters' lives ultimately overlap. Tom Guthrie is a local school teacher and the father of Ike and Bobby. Tom tries his best to continue life as normal even though he is separating from his wife who suffers from depression and is isolated from her family. The difficulty of this situation was also seen during one particular morning when Ike asked his father, "Aren't you going to have breakfast with us? I can't this morning. Isn't Mommy coming down either?" (5)This would lead one to believe that the boys miss their mother even though she is still in the same house. When his wife finally moves to Denver, another problem arises in the form of a vengeful, failed student. His children become victims of the father issue when the student bullies the boys to the point of committing a crime by taking them miles away from the city and stripping them of their suits before letting them walk home. This act of hatred towards the boys is not the first struggle they have had to endure as they had already dealt with their mother's confusing behavior and grieved the death of their horse. The tension in the chapter when Tom finds out what the bully did to Ike and Bobby is unbearable, as seen in this passage: "Damn you, said Guthrie. You're lying again. Then it was past talking. Guthrie rushed towards the boy and grabbed his shirt by the neck. I'm sorry, you son of a bitch. Leave my boys alone.. .” (260) Anyone reading this could certainly understand his anger, but the worry is that he will do something violent and illegal to avenge his children. Once Tom has confronted the bully, blinded by his anger, he begins a shoving match that becomes increasingly violent. The neighbor's call to law enforcement comes not a moment too soon as it helped resolve the conflict and proved that violence is not a good option to overcome difficulties as it only creates more problems. In an emotionally fulfilling and symbolic act, brothers Ike and Bobby Guthrie finally learn to accept that their mother is gone when they take their mother's bracelet to the railroad. They put the jewels on the tracks, wait for a train to come, crush them and bury the wreckage." Her bracelet was flattened theitself, thin as paper, they could break it... they stuck a whole one into the earth and buried their mother's bracelet in the earth under the steep bank and put a stone on top." (294)This gesture seems to symbolize recognition on the part of the brothers that their mother won't be coming back. It also establishes the first time they are honest about the anger they feel, and hopefully this will give them the closure they need to overcome these difficulties. Victoria Roubideaux is seventeen with few friends, she has only had one boy her whole life and becomes pregnant at the beginning of her perspective. Once her mother finds out why she has been so ill, she is furious and locks her out of the house. After a while, you hear Victoria say to her mother: “ I'm sorry, mom. You don't have to worry. I'm gone." (32)With nowhere to go since her boyfriend left town, Victoria turns to one of her teachers, Maggie Jones. Maggie explains the different options she has regarding her pregnancy but since Victoria wants to keep the baby she will have to start seeing Dr. Martin. Victoria asks if there is a doctor she can go to as an alternative because it would make her feel more comfortable: "Not here. Not in Holt. Maybe I could go to another city. Honey, Maggie Jones said. Victoria. Listen to me. You are here now. This is where you are." (50)This scene shows that life as a child is over for Victoria and that she must wake up, face the consequences of her actions, do what is best for herself, and take advantage of the help that is offered to her. After living with Maggie for a short time, it became problematic for her older father, so he contacted the Mcpherons to see if they would accept his offer and allow this young girl to stay with them. Raymond and Harold McPheron are single brothers and have lived all their lives on their ranch miles from the nearest town. Their parents died when they were young and they have no knowledge about pregnancy, children or even women. Until now, the brothers haven't grown up with the social opportunities that would put them in situations that lead to new relationships, which surprisingly leads them to agree to take her in. This incredibly selfless act proves that Raymond and Harold have the resilience and courage to grow and embrace new things instead of allowing further stress to overtake them. Over time the McPheron brothers begin to show an attachment to Victoria. An example of this is shown when the brothers want to take Victoria to buy a crib because they are worried that she will spend too much time alone: ​​“Feeling alone and sorry like that, can't be good for the baby. As well as staying up all sorts of hours and sleeping all morning. (P. 173). A few chapters earlier the brothers were worried about how much it would cost them to have the Guthrie boys help work the livestock, but as they shop for the nativity scene they choose the most expensive one. This shows how much Victoria's presence has affected their lives, and instead of seeing it as an inconvenience, they do everything in their power to make the best of the situation. Maggie Jones is the only person who has some kind of relationship with all the main characters in the novel from the beginning. She is also a school teacher, attracted to Tom Guthrie and, in addition to caring for her senile father, must help Victoria find a suitable home during her pregnancy. Being such an important character it may seem strange that there is only one chapter dedicated to her. However, his role is prominent in several other chapters, so his involvement is well documented and not short-sighted. Although Maggie is dealing with her own problems, she is very receptive when Victoria approaches her. He would have?".