Jane Smiley uses the changing personalities and attitudes of the characters in A Thousand Acres to demonstrate the major effect that the breakup of a family can have on people . Many of the characters change over the course of the novel, some becoming more vapid and others more outspoken. One of the main people to change in the novel is Ginny. However he still has one important factor that remains throughout the novel: he cares about people. In chapter 28, when she first sees her father after he stayed with Harold, she says that the sight of him "scared" her. He also immediately tells Rose "look at him". This shows that he still cares for people and shows his mercy. This is constant throughout the novel as she always made breakfast for Larry and worried when he had an accident with his car. The first part of the chapter concerns Ginny's description of Larry's unkempt appearance and describes not only his clothes and hair but also his "demeanor." This shows that she is watching him closely and suggests that she is still worried after all that has been said. In this chapter Ginny is still worried about what others think of her and the family, when Harold and Larry are talking to other people she says "I longed to hear what he was saying..." She says it as if she is worried about what could say about her and stood up and the sense of shame is still on her. This is a continuation of behavior she displayed earlier in the novel, when she was worried about what people would think of the family after Caroline's performance in the play as a young girl, "whispering horror at the impending humiliation". Ginny is still quite loyal to Larry as she doesn't want to appear to be plotting against him when she... middle of paper...ye ignores her. “I took two more steps, but he clearly backed away.” Ginny describes Larry's voice as "tentative" which is completely different from what it used to be as it had an "aggressive rumble". This demonstrates his fragility and senility. Larry demonstrates his need to hold on to someone throughout the novel, first with Rose and Ginny and then with Harold and Caroline. This suggests that beneath his gruff exterior he is actually lonely. This chapter leads you to believe that Larry hasn't actually lost his mind but that it's a ploy to gain sympathy at the very end, when Rose and Ginny finish a "look of devious justice spread across his face." This doesn't describe a man who is going crazy and doesn't know where he is, it actually describes someone who planned a scene knowing the effect it would have on his daughters.