Leif Enger’s character Davy Land from Peace Like a River has similarities and differences to the famous outlaw Butch Cassidy. To open, the difference between Davy Land and Butch Cassidy is the first crime they ever committed. A confrontation between Jerimiah, Davy’s dad, and two bullies, Finch and Basca, enrages the two boys, so they start harassing the Land family. Their acts of revenge start small, first tarring the family’s door. When the family does not act negatively toward the destruction of their door, the boys kidnap Davy’s little sister and take her for a threatening ride. Once the young girl returns home, she is completely traumatized. The cops are called, but they are saying they cannot do anything to punish the boys. Davy snapped, that night in a fit of rage …show more content…
Unlike Davy Land, Butch Cassidy’s first crime was a robbery, not a murder (Kennedy). To continue, similarly, Davy and Butch Cassidy are both sole horses. Davy is incarcerated for the murders, while the jury is fully against him. In an act of self-preservation, Davy decides to escape. While his cellmate sleeps, he tells the prison guard his toilet is broken. When the guard walks into the cell, Davy knocks him out and steals his keys and handgun. After the escape, Davy steals a horse and runs for it. Later a news article was published about the break saying, “He’s just a boy on a horse, after all. Just a skinny length of wire and persistence who still doesn’t know he can’t escape” (102). Davy steals a horse and assumes he can easily escape and live as an outlaw (Enger). Similarly, famous outlaw Butch Cassidy also stole horses while on the run from law enforcement (Kennedy). To close, both Davy and Vassidy became fugitives. One Davy has a mode of transportation he makes a run for it. He somehow manages to make it out of state boundaries, bringing forth unwanted attention. The FBI now has a forced involvement with the case