Peace Like A River Character Analysis

What would you do for your brother, a stranger, or even your enemy? Peace like a River is the story of a young boy and his coming of age. It takes place in both Minnesota and North Dakota in the early 1960s. It is a story about family, loyalty, and what it truly means to grow up. Furthermore, the novel takes us through themes of moral ambiguity and the Erikson ideal of industry versus inferiority. The novel follows eleven-year-old Reuben Land as he stumbles and tumbles through these concepts all while trying to protect his brother from the law. Throughout the novel, Reuben regularly compares himself to his older brother, idolizing him as the epitome of adulthood. His brother, Davy, can

Jeremiah is very joyful because he doesn't let his heart problem get in his way and is the coach of a baseball team at the age of twelve. Jeremiah is a positive kid because even though he’s 12 years old and has a heart transplant he looks on the bright side and he’s still able to be a coach. He is kind because he does not say anything bad to people even though he doesn't know them. He is funny because in one part of the book Jeremiah said “ Walt has a big brain. He’s officially a computer genius, but even bigger than his brain is his heart.” He is outgoing because when he went to his school he made new friends quick because he was nice and he was confident to talk to them. He never gives up because one day they needed to practice but it was raining so Jeremiah had to convince everybody to practice they did it thanks to Jeremiah. He is caring because his takes good care of his heart at the end of the book he told his heart “ What was the thing that turned your heart around? What healed it?... I’ll say, It was baseball that did it. Every hit. Every miss. Every person. Isn’t that right

Right off the bat, the novel starts out with a miracle. It is the miracle of Reuben, who was born with lung issues. When confronted with his not breathing son, Jeremiah commands Reuben, “Reuben Land, in the

In Leif Enger’s Peace like a River, Reuben’s younger sister Swede composes poetry in order to understand what is happening in her own life and her poetry has parallels to the journey she and her family are on within the course of the novel. Throughout the entirety of the novel we can depict the meaning behind Swede’s poetry and can sense how she reacted to the events around her. This novel and the poetry within clearly shows God’s hand at work and it is obvious that Jeremiah, Reuben and Swede agree.

Peace Like a River by Leif Enger is a bestselling fictional novel based on justice, tragedy, and love. The novel takes place in the 1960’s throughout Minnesota and North Dakota, and it is told from the perspective of Reuben Land. Davy, Reuben’s brother, gets himself, along with his family, into some trouble with the law. Because of this, the Land family travels to the Badlands and on their way, they discover God and His ways. Peace Like a River has a few major themes including, what makes a miracle, decisions and their consequences, and God.

Throughout Peace Like a River, Jeremiah performs miracle after miracle. These miracles are as simple as fixing an unfixable saddle, providing an endless bowl of soup, and saving Reuben’s life twice. When first encountering these miracles I personally was left in a state of awe and wonder. Jeremiah’s faith was so strong his children and some readers compared him to prophets or even Jesus. When Jeremiah is in doubt or in need he turns directly to God and goes into deep prayer. Reuben looks up to his father in awe and as the narrator of the book he is one of the main or only witness to

In the book, Peace Like a River, Reuben as the narrator depicts Jeremiah as a divine mortal. The first time Reuben paints this picture is in the first chapter. Reuben states that Jeremiah says, “Reuben Land, in the name of the living God I am telling you to breathe”(Page 2). Jeremiah some how manages to bring back a child who hasn’t been breathing for 12 minutes. Reuben proceeds to assert “the answer, it seems to me now, lies in miracles”(page 2). In the start of the book, Jeremiah is already portrayed as a blessed person. Later on in the book every time a miracle happens, the Reuben will say make of it what you will. In the end, Jeremiah performs one last miracle and sacrifices his life for Reuben, affirming him as a great parent and person

In the novel, Peace Like a River by Leif Enger, the author discusses a story of a Minnesota family narrated by Reuben Land, where he explains the several miracles his father, Jeremiah Land, performed throughout his lifetime. Jeremiah Land is a single father with three children. Davy Land being the eldest son, Reuben being the middle, and Swede Land being the youngest daughter. Leif Enger is an American author who dreamed to be a fiction writer ever since he was a teen. The genre of this novel is fiction.

Jeremiah did nothing but simply left things in God’s hands. He allowed Holgren to make a fool out of himself and surprisingly, he healed Holgren’s face from those unsightly sores.

Jeremiah had been working at Rueben and Swedes school as a janitor. After the two murders Superintendent Holgren began to treat Jeremiah differently, as he allowed his opinion to determine whether or not Jeremiah deserved the job. Holgren made work even more difficult and disagreed with everything that Jeremiah did. Jeremiah, being the calm person that he was, never retaliated with negative words. He allowed Holgren to mistreat him, even in front of the staff and students in the school. Holgren finally resorted to firing Jeremiah in front of everyone, but Jeremiah simply touched his face and walked away.

Jeremiah's intervention is observed when he insists, “breathe ….breathe! …. Reuben Land, in the name of the living God I am telling you to breathe” (Enger, p. 3). Jeremiah ordered his son to breathe, even though twelve minutes had passed since he was dead; however, when he orders Reuben to come back to life, he says that in the name of God he must resuscitate. Reuben was not destined to live, and because his father's choice went against what was supposed to happen, Reuben must live an asthmatic life that limits what he is able to do. Ultimately, Enger portrays how all decisions have consequences, and many times the results will not be the expected ones.

First, negativity enters early within the first few pages during the dramatic birth of Reuben Land. When Reuben was born, his dad, Jeremiah wasn’t even in the room. He only arrived later when God was told to have made him run to the delivery room. Sadly, Reuben’s lungs were, at first, defective and it was starting to look as if he wasn’t going to make it. The doctor, Dr. Nokes had delivered the baby and had practically given up on poor Reuben’s life. “It was unavoidable, he was saying; nothing could be done; perhaps it was for the best,” (2). Negativity now ensues, no

The message to the exiles was very practical. First, they should realize that God had sent them into captivity. “There are no greetings from Jeremiah here, no personal words. Instead the letter begins with “This is what the Lord says,” as Yahweh addresses the entire exilic community and identifies himself as the one who exiled them from Jerusalem to Babylon.”6 That being the case, they should make the best of their situation. The normal activities of life should be resumed. Specifically he mentioned building houses, planting gardens, and marrying their children. Jeremiah directed them to pray for the

Jeremiah may be one of the most intriguing and revealing of the Old Testament prophets. With his continual return to god and the constant struggle between his heart and the voice of god. This elevates him as a human being and not just as an instrument of god (Paterson 144). He is one of the most human of prophets mentioned in the Old Testament and at the same time most Christ like in aspects of his sermons and works. His story has intrigued many for it is of human weakness and strength (Paterson 139). Let us now take a look at his life and at his works.

When my daughter was young, she enjoyed listening to a Cedarmont Kids audio CD called “Sunday School Songs”. She would sing every word in her sweet little voice, kicking her feet to the beat. One of her favorites was the classical, catchy song titled “I’ve Got Peace Like a River “. The lyrics include the phrase “I’ve got peace like a river, I’ve got peace like a river. I’ve got peace like a river in my soul.” As a precious toddler, she would innocently mispronounce the words, singing “I got peas like my liver, I got peas like my liver, I got peas like my liver in my soul!” Her dad and I still giggle today over the fond memories of her mispronunciation cuteness of proclaiming she has peas like her liver!