The protagonist of The Song of the Lark, by Willa Cather, reaches a time of artistic and uninterrupted reflection. "Thea's life at the Ottenburg ranch was simple and full of light, like the days themselves. She woke every morning when the fierce shafts of sunlight darted through the curtain-less windows of her room at the ranch-house. After breakfast she took her lunch-basket to the canyon. Usually she did not return until sunset." (256) With so much time and space away from things and people, Thea goes through much character development. "Not only did the world seem older and richer to Thea now, but she herself seemed older. She had never been alone for so long before, or thought so much." (264) At this point in Thea's life, it only makes sense for her to go under such a change. As mentioned in the previous reading response, Stupid Faces, Thea is heavily influenced by those around her. So, it is no wonder that Thea becomes incredibly clear minded and capable of fathoming so much with only her mind and the surrounding wilderness. Amongst the natural, the mere existence and yet silence of a dead city of the ancient people standing confidently, independent from the canyon in which it resides, stimulates Thea in such a way as nothing has stimulated her before. This, is seemingly precisely what she needed at this time.
Thea enjoys Fred Ottenborg's company when he visits. As she had hoped, her knight had returned to visit her, and her simple days turn into ones of bliss. Her most favoured companion to spend time with, and yet Thea becomes angry when he kisses her. "Thea was startled, gave him an angry push, drove at him with her free hand in a manner quite hostile." (268-269) Of course, Fred's reaction to this is to kiss Thea again, pinning her arms down resolutely. My only opinion of this interaction is of two young adults 'in love', if one could put it in such a frugal way. This sort of thing is almost impossible to avoid when it comes to life in general, so it is no surprise that it happens. Especially with someone like Thea, who so easily won the hearts of men considerably older than herself, such as Ray Kennedy, so it should be no difficult task for a man close to her age to fall for her, right? Or, that is up to you. My opinion on this sort of thing is rather vague, as it all differs from person to person, and there are an infinite number of variables for an infinite number of situations. There are no set rules, except for ones own morals.
Over the course of Fred's stay with Thea in the canyon, he keeps her in an active, outgoing state of mind. They speak of relationships, and fairly openly about their feelings for each other. The one thing that Fred leaves out, is that he has been married since he was twenty. Fred asks Thea a question of where their relationship is going, and where Thea is going, so Thea sends him off to allow her to think. Almost the entirety of what remains of this portion of the book turns into a miniature autobiography about Fred, to give some context to his current dilemma. Unfortunately, he finds no feasible solution to this, and Thea's response does not bode well. Seemingly, all that can come from their relationship in the future is sadness and loss. Such is life, and many relationships. Some people just aren't meant to ever be tied down, while others are, and yet still others believe they are capable of remaining tied to the same post forever, but discover this is not the case.
