In A Thousand Acres, why does Smiley name her characters after various adventurers and explorers.

I think the explorer motif has to do with the theme of water. Farmed land is often compared to a sea in A Thousand Acres. Seeing the land wave in the breeze often reminds onlookers of waves of an ocean. However, water also seeps through the soil, creating a thick mixture of minerals and nutrients. For farmers, rain is a double-edged sword. They need rain to water the crops and keep them alive. However, storms cause setbacks in harvesting operations, making it more difficult to turn a profit on the goods.

In the novel, the storm scene is one of the most important in the story. Larry is somewhat driven by the storm into a rage. He curses his daughters and lashes them verbally. He also uses the storm as a way to prove himself as a man. He battles the elements alone, man versus nature, and wants to prove to everyone that he is strong.