“Harlen had a strong sense of survival, not just for himself but for other people as well.”

In this alliterated description of Harlen, Will uses tender humor to describe the way his friend Harlen is always inserting himself in other peoples’ affairs and trying to help them. Harlen is compassionate toward all, always trying to understand their motivations and figure out a way to support them. This quality in Harlen is part of what draws Will back to Medicine River.

“And I remembered the picture of the two of them. My mother with her dark hair and dark eyes, the pleated skirt spread all around her.”

When Will recalls the photograph of his parents together, it is his mother he focuses on, and although details are sparse, the image suggests a calm enveloping presence.

“Helping was Harlen’s specialty. He was like a spider on a web. Every so often, someone would come along and tear off a piece of the web or poke a hole in it, and Harlen would come scuttling along and throw out filament after filament until the damage was repaired.”

In this simile, Harlan’s role in his community is similar to the spider’s role in nature. The actions of both are reparative and constructive as they mend frayed connections and try to keep their worlds whole.