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This discussion is about Myra. As we all know that she is William's daughter but the question rises was she important in the story? Come on guys please tell me what do you think.

I think she was important. She represented the native people. She narrated a legend of the origin of the native people. Through her arguments with Sergei, we get to know what Sergei knows. I think she is also the one who is able to keep up with Sarah during the first trip.

She is because she holds a strong connection to the people of long ago. She is also an ally of sorts to Sarah and a guardian of the elderly men. I think it is also more of a setup for a future encounter with Sergei. She will replace the loss of Sergei's father somewhat by taking up the beliefs and arguments of Sergei's father.

Yes, I think she is important. She befriended Sarah at an important moment. She was also the voice opposing the corporation that was trying to destroy the wilderness.

Myra is important to this story. I don’t think any of what happened would have happened as smoothly were it not for her. I know that there was a lot of conflict in the group, but Myra was a great mediator between Sarah and Tom specifically. She helped give Sarah a grounding point so she could adjust easier to the vastly different environment from what she was used to.

Myra was also a crucial part of not only helping Sergei cope with the loss of his father, but for William coping with the loss of a dear friend. While Sergei had someone to challenge him, William had someone who helped to keep the balance between what he had lost and what he had left.

Personally, I don’t think the author handled grief very well, but the effort is clearly there.

I read this book in February so I’m a little late to the discussion - but I submit that not only is Myra unnecessary, but so is William. Hear me out:

William is supposed to be the most native-like, and Myra the most enthusiastic about her history. But Tom also had native blood, and cared to some extent about his history: all three of the main adults are tall stubborn outdoorsmen with native heritage. I think they were all pretty shallow characters, but if you combined all of their traits into one person - Tom - then you’d have a far more complex character and the story could focus on his growing relationship with his granddaughter. I don’t care if Sarah and Myra get along. I don’t care if Sarah and William get along. I just want Tom and Sarah to grow alongside one another and Tom can be the one to share their native heritage with Sarah.

So Myra as a separate character didn’t need to exist, though certainly some of her traits should be retained.

Myra served as the liaison between Sarah's youth and the two older men. She helped Sarah to relate to her grandfather and to William. Sarah's experience currently living with and working with those on the reservation gave credibility to the Indian beliefs.
She was very necessary.

She was necessary as a friend to Sarah and as a woman whom Sarah could relate easily to also she was important as a mediator between Sarah and her grandfather.

Absolutely! For the reasons stated above as kind of a go between for Sarah and her grandfather as well as to represent the interest of the native people. Yes, Tom had native blood but he hadn't explored it and didn't have the pride of the people that Myra (and William) had. The comment that perhaps William was not necessary sat with me a moment and I could almost agree but if he's not there, who tempers Myra in the main body of the story. I don't think it would have worked without him providing that calming factor.

I also think Myra was necessary to challenge Sergei's point of view. It would have been too neat to bring Sergei along and easily tie up Sarah's story. He needed to be a true scientist focused on data, argue with Myra, and hear Sarah's story to consider a new theory.

Just my thoughts - I love the discussion and very much enjoyed the book.

Myra is important, without her, Sara will never come back to Tom's life. I think Myra, in some way, was the one to start the legend and Sara just fill the empty spaces between Myra's point of view and Sergei's need of facts.

Zain Farough wrote: ↑03 Nov 2017, 05:22 This discussion is about Myra. As we all know that she is William's daughter but the question rises was she important in the story? Come on guys please tell me what do you think.

Yes, she is important in the story. For one, Tom would have been in more trouble without a female presence in their journey with Sarah. She also represented the academe brood who could be open to alternative yet still potentially-viable sources for and means of coming up with valid scientific conclusions.

CNWaweru wrote: ↑26 Jan 2018, 02:03 I think she was important. She represented the native people. She narrated a legend of the origin of the native people. Through her arguments with Sergei, we get to know what Sergei knows. I think she is also the one who is able to keep up with Sarah during the first trip.

I agree she's important in her role as a champion of the best interests of the natives, in Sergei's process of discovery, and as Sarah's able companion.

cozark38 wrote: ↑26 Jan 2018, 19:03 She is because she holds a strong connection to the people of long ago. She is also an ally of sorts to Sarah and a guardian of the elderly men. I think it is also more of a setup for a future encounter with Sergei. She will replace the loss of Sergei's father somewhat by taking up the beliefs and arguments of Sergei's father.

Sergei might have lost someone so dear but Myra filled in that void, indeed.

Spirit Wandering wrote: ↑29 Jan 2018, 06:50 Yes, I think she is important. She befriended Sarah at an important moment. She was also the voice opposing the corporation that was trying to destroy the wilderness.

Myra indeed filled in the void in Sarah's lack of a mother figure in her life, and in William's and Tom's lack of audacity to express what they also felt and think about Buckhorn.

Kuolettava wrote: ↑30 Jan 2018, 14:59 Myra is important to this story. I don’t think any of what happened would have happened as smoothly were it not for her. I know that there was a lot of conflict in the group, but Myra was a great mediator between Sarah and Tom specifically. She helped give Sarah a grounding point so she could adjust easier to the vastly different environment from what she was used to.

Myra was also a crucial part of not only helping Sergei cope with the loss of his father, but for William coping with the loss of a dear friend. While Sergei had someone to challenge him, William had someone who helped to keep the balance between what he had lost and what he had left.

Personally, I don’t think the author handled grief very well, but the effort is clearly there.

I also agree with the importance of Myra's role in balancing situations and filling in the gaps of and for the other characters. Our ability and decisions in coping with what life's would have for us are influenced by several factors, including but not limited to situations and intentions.