The Four Winds

The land is a prominent feature in The Four Winds, almost a character unto itself. Tony Martinelli waxes poetically about man’s symbiotic relationship with the land. Elsa stubbornly clings to it as the bedrock that anchors her life. Even Elsa’s father, Eugene, claims a stake in the land, arguing, “Our blood is in this ground” (23). Describe each of these characters’ relationship with the land. How does Tony’s view of the land differ from Eugene’s?

How does Elsa’s childhood illness inform her 25-year-old self? Her parents use that illness as an excuse to keep her sheltered and isolated. What effect does that isolation have on her initial encounters with Rafe?

Dalhart is a devout community. Describe the role of religion in the social and spiritual fabric of the town. How does religion benefit the citizens, and how does it contribute to an inequitable social hierarchy?