The Song of the Lark

Dr. Archie is a crucial secondary character in the novel. He is Moonstone’s town physician and operates as an archetypal mentor for Thea. Dr. Archie sees Thea’s potential and advocates for her talent. He and Thea have lengthy, deep, and adult conversations that help Thea develop her worldview and belief in herself. Dr. Archie helps Thea at every step of the way. He accompanies Thea to Chicago to set her up with a job, home, and music teacher. He returns to her aid when she needs money for her trip to Germany. He also comes back into her life when she needs emotional support as she falters in pursuit of her dreams. Dr. Archie’s interest in Thea is pseudo-romantic; their age difference and his connection to her childhood prevent that interest from becoming sexual or fully romantic, but his attraction to her is apparent.

Dr. Archie is attracted to the version of Thea he knew as a child because her uniqueness gave him hope and inspiration. Dr. Archie is mostly disappointed by his own life because he is in a loveless marriage, is bored by Moonstone, and has little hope for others to become anything other than the ordinary people they are. Dr. Archie’s life becomes more interesting to him in his older age, but for many years the one bright spot is seeing Thea grow and thrive. Dr. Archie acts as a surrogate father figure who notices and supports her needs better than Thea’s father. Unlike other men in Thea’s life, he doesn’t take credit for her success. He is Thea’s key ally and helps support her character development.

Fred Ottenburg is an important secondary character in the novel. He falls in love with Thea and provides her with financial stability that helps enable her growth. For example, he arranges for Thea’s summer in Panther Canyon, which revives her artistic ambitions. Fred is a devoted friend to Thea, but his romantic love for her complicates her life. Fred doesn’t disclose that he’s already married until he convinces Thea to allow him to prove that he could make her happy as her husband. Fred lives in a world of would-have-could-have; his financial privilege and family legacy give him the freedom to do whatever he wants. He doesn’t live with his wife, but he can’t divorce her because the society in which he circulates views divorce as scandalous. Fred admires Thea’s courage, because he is not brave enough to make sacrifices to get exactly what he wants out of life. Fred remains Thea’s friend for years, and there is a part of him that remains in love with her. But Fred also recognizes that Thea is incapable of loving him back, because she is so independent and because her identity as an artist outweighs the love she may once have felt for him. Fred is influential to the narrative, but he also thinks he is more responsible for Thea’s success than he is. Fred wants to be a part of Thea’s life so badly that he takes credit for helping her become a woman who embraces her beauty and her ambition. Fred doesn’t like being on the sidelines, even for a woman he claims to love. Fred’s character highlights the disparity in privilege between men and women in the 19th century. Fred is also a mirror to show Thea that what she does matters. She could be Fred if she valued money or romantic attachments above her art.

Ray Kennedy’s influence on Thea’s thinking is significant, as he is largely responsible for her connections to nature and what she learns from it. He can be read as both a shaman and a Christ figure, even though he is a secondary character—he takes energy and inspiration from natural settings and channels this into Thea, and he makes an ultimate sacrifice for Thea. Even though he doesn’t choose to die, his life insurance is his body and blood, which he gives to Thea that she may prosper. Given this context, the meal he and Thea share under the water tower on their trip to Denver with her mother and Giddy suggests an act of communion inside the Church of nature, which all of them revere.

On the train to Denver, Ray tells Thea about his time as a shepherd in Wyoming. He lost a whole sheep herd in a blizzard because sheep are so “resigned.” Ray says, “Sometimes, to this day, when I’m dog-tired, I try to save them sheep all night long. It comes kind of hard on a boy when he first finds out how little he is, and how big everything else is” (60). This passage shows Ray’s understanding of his limited power over his environment and his determination to make a difference wherever he can. On the journey, he and Thea debate whether people are all alone in their struggles. Ray insists that there are always “halfway” people somewhere between winners and losers who are bound by natural law to help those destined to win. This also foreshadows his role in Thea’s life, as he fulfills this “halfway” purpose for her, since his sacrifice allows her to thrive.

Mr. and Mrs. Kronborg are Thea’s parents. They are both from immigrant families, which informs their work ethic, devotion to family, and worldview. They are respected members of their community because they are honest, committed to religion, conservative, and friendly. Their backgrounds as Scandinavians are important to their characterization; they embody the text’s representation of Scandinavians as hard-working, diligent immigrants. Mrs. Kronborg’s archetype is that of a suffering matriarch, but she is not exactly a martyr; her suffering comes from the fact that she teaches her children to be independent and doesn’t indulge her own need for affection by harnessing them to herself. Thea is characterized as similar to Mrs. Kronborg because they are both mature, steadfast, and against frivolity. Mrs. Kronborg’s style of interpersonal relationship with her children teaches Thea not to hold people too close. Their physical presence where “both carried their heads like Indian women, with a kind of noble unconsciousness” as opposed to most “women who were always nodding and jerking; apologizing, deprecating, coaxing, insinuating with their heads” sets them apart (60). Mrs. Kronborg is therefore important because of the way she teaches Thea to be a strong, independent, serious woman. Mrs. Kronborg has many children, all of whom she loves. She provides them with structure, passes down her strong work ethic and resilience, and supports their different personalities. Thea’s parents both agree that Thea is not a traditional girl and will not have a traditional life. Many parents in the 19th century, especially ones tied to religion, would force Thea into obediently following society’s expectations of women. Instead, they support her talent and ambition. But they also represent Thea’s past, which she sacrifices for her art. Thea is absent when Mr. and Mrs. Kronborg die, but they retain their pride in her and their acceptance of her choices until the end.