Does his asthmatic condition make Reuben stronger or weaker?
* Reuben's asthmatic condition makes him stronger as a person throughout the novel. I believe that since he knew he had a problem, Reuben strived to make his life better.
What circumstances bring about the deaths of Israel Finch and Tommy Basca? Were Davy's actions justified?
* Israel and Tommy should have behaved themselves more. If they were trying to hurt that girl in locker room they wouldn't have gotten beat up with a broom. If they would have just left it with that they wouldn't have gotten killed. Davy was only trying to protect his family by killing the two boys when they broke into him house.
Should "Peace Like a River" be considered a "Christian" novel?
* I think this novel should be considered as a Christian one. The family was always praying for better. Even in the beginning the dad was praying to God that his son would be fine.
Describe the ending of the book. In what way was it shocking? * The end of the book was very shocking. Reuben and his father got shot. His fathers wound was no where near being dangerous but Reuben's was. In the end his father died and he lived.
As the novel begins a miracle happens. Describe it. How does it happen? Who accomplishes it? What role do they play in Peace Like a River?
* The miracle that happened at the beginning of the book is the like of Reuben. At first when he was born, he wasn't breathing. The doctor, nor his mother could relieve him of his suffication. However, "god" told his father to go to the room. His father is the one that saved him from dying and the one that gave him life.
Is the novel written more through the eyes of an adult, as indicated near the end of the novel, or from an adolescent's perspective?
Born with a severe case of asthma, Reuben Land, our young hero and narrator, must often struggle to bring air into his lungs. Throughout the book, Reuben is preoccupied with his own breathing, and the act of breathing functions in this story as a metaphor for life itself. How does Reuben cope with his ailment, and how is his character influenced by it?
Much of this novel concerns the inner life of childhood: imagination, storytelling, chores, play, and school life. Discuss the author's portrayal of childhood. Do the children depicted here seem realistic?
Compare and contrast Peace Like a River with the traditional morality play--the symbolic drama based on the eternal struggle between Good and Evil.
Why does Jeremiah decide to leave medical school after he survives the devastating tornado? How does this lead to his wife leaving him and their three children?
Reuben idealizes both of the older males in his family. How does this create conflict for him?
