Leif Enger’s Peace Like a River

1. Leif Enger’s Peace Like a River, Louise Erdrich’s The Round House, and
   William Shakespeare’s Othello portray sympathetic characters who kill another
   person in acts of vigilante justice that they believed were well warranted. Apart
   from these similarities in plot, however, the works are significantly different in
   their themes and motifs. Choose TWO of these works and compare/contrast how
   the act of vigilante justice is used to explore different themes or motifs. (For
   example, a reader cannot help but notice that The Round House is very concerned
   with issues of systemic injustice for Native Americans. Obviously, Peace Like a
   River has other concerns besides injustice for Native American.)
2. Both Othello and The Round House portray characters (Othello and Linden Lark)
   who “love” women so much that they feel compelled to kill them.
   Compare/contrast the topic of love-turned-murderous in these two works. What
   psychological factors cause the two male characters to kill the women they love?
3. Peace Like a River and The Round House both feature popular culture motifs that
   influence the main characters deeply. Swede (and to a lesser extent Reuben) love
   Westerns. Joe and his friends love Star Trek, especially the Klingon Worf.
   Compare/contrast the effect of these popular culture figures on the minds of the
   main characters.
4. Both Othello and The Round House address issues of prejudice against people of
   different races (Africans and Native Americans). Compare/contrast the effect of
   racism in these two works.
5. Sonja in The Round House and Bianca in Othello are both minor characters who
   occupy similar roles. They are both objects of male sexual desire and both are
   considered “trashy” because of their current or former professions. Because they
   are “trash,” it is considered acceptable by some of the characters to mock and
   even abuse them. Compare/contrast the role played by these women in these two
   works. How do their characters contribute to the larger themes of the works?
6. Iago in Othello is considered by many people to be one of the most evil characters
   in all of literature. I would argue that Linden Lark of The Round House is a
   contender as well. Compare/contrast these villains. How do the two authors
   account for evil characters? In other words, what makes a person evil and how
   does their darkness affect others?

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