Jane Smiley uses the characters' changing personalities and attitudes in A Thousand Acres to demonstrate the major effect the break up of a family can have on people. Many of the characters change through the novel with some becoming more insular and others becoming more outspoken.

One of the main people to change in the novel is Ginny. However she still has one major factor that remains throughout the novel - she worries about people. In Chapter 28 when she first sees her father after him staying at Harold's she says that the sight of him "startled" her. Also she immediately says to Rose "look at him." This shows that she is still caring for people and shows her pity. This is constant throughout the novel as she always made the breakfast for Larry and worried when he had a crash in his car. The first part of the...