Peace Like a River
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
Clay His Separate Shadow Beauteous Are My Cakes Indeed Your Toughened Heart Peeking at Eternity When Sorrows Like Sea Billows Roll Late in the Night When the Fires Are Out A Boy on a Horse By the Grace of Lurvy The Substance of Things Hoped For The Last Thing He Would Do At War with This Whole World Something Warm The Skin Bag Under the Gibbon Moon The Throbbing Heart of News The Little Man's Country Winning Her Hand Boy Ready The Ledger of Our Decisions The Red Farm Be Jubilant, My Feet The Curious Music That I Hear
Themes
All Themes Youth vs. Adulthood Religion Fiction, Reality, and the American West Loyalty and Family Justice and Consequences
Quotes
Characters
All Characters Reuben Land Jeremiah Land (Dad) Swede Land Davy Land Roxanna Crawley Jape Waltzer Sara Tin Lurvy Thomas DeCuellar Martin Andreeson Superintendent Chester Holgren
Symbols
All Symbols Sunny Sundown Valdez
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Peace Like a River

by Leif Enger
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Introduction Intro
Plot Summary Plot
Summary & Analysis
  • Clay
  • His Separate Shadow
  • Beauteous Are My Cakes Indeed
  • Your Toughened Heart
  • Peeking at Eternity
  • When Sorrows Like Sea Billows Roll
  • Late in the Night When the Fires Are Out
  • A Boy on a Horse
  • By the Grace of Lurvy
  • The Substance of Things Hoped For
  • The Last Thing He Would Do
  • At War with This Whole World
  • Something Warm
  • The Skin Bag
  • Under the Gibbon Moon
  • The Throbbing Heart of News
  • The Little Man's Country
  • Winning Her Hand
  • Boy Ready
  • The Ledger of Our Decisions
  • The Red Farm
  • Be Jubilant, My Feet
  • The Curious Music That I Hear
Themes
  • All Themes
  • Youth vs. Adulthood Theme Icon
    Youth vs. Adulthood
  • Religion Theme Icon
    Religion
  • Fiction, Reality, and the American West Theme Icon
    Fiction, Reality, and the American West
  • Loyalty and Family Theme Icon
    Loyalty and Family
  • Justice and Consequences Theme Icon
    Justice and Consequences
Quotes
Characters
  • All Characters
  • Reuben Land
  • Jeremiah Land (Dad)
  • Swede Land
  • Davy Land
  • Roxanna Crawley
  • Jape Waltzer
  • Sara
  • Tin Lurvy
  • Thomas DeCuellar
  • Martin Andreeson
  • Superintendent Chester Holgren
Symbols
  • All Symbols
  • Sunny Sundown Symbol Icon
    Sunny Sundown
  • Valdez Symbol Icon
    Valdez
Theme Wheel Theme Viz
Download this Chart (PDF)
Download the Teacher Edition
Download this Chart (PDF)

Peace Like a River Study Guide

It's easy to cite LitCharts for use in academic papers and reports.


MLA

Brock, Zoë. "Peace Like a River." LitCharts. LitCharts LLC, 25 Aug 2017. Web. 12 Jan 2026.


Chicago

Brock, Zoë. "Peace Like a River." LitCharts LLC, August 25, 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2026. https://www.litcharts.com/lit/peace-like-a-river.

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