Summary Of Saints At The River By Ron Rash

Resurrection at the River

Saints At The River follows the tragic aftermath of a young girl’s death in Tamassee, South Carolina. Throughout the story Ron Rash hints at a deeper meaning by using visual representations and allusions to give each reader his/her own perspective. He sculpts the theme of loss, Christianity, letting go, and acquiring power through symbolism and references to the reader's emotions. Rash shows through his writing how underlying tones can be represented through a story, a wedding ring, nature, or religion. One underlying tone that Rash uses is the symbol of a wedding ring. Rash uses the metaphor of Allen’s wedding ring with the feeling of loss to portray that there is more history to Allen than what is implied.

In the beginning of the book Maggie mentions a scar she received after her father left her with her brother alone to go buy cigarettes. She was burned with a hot pot of beans. To her, this action by her father was neglect. She states, “But I wasn’t like my brother. I couldn’t let things go” (Rash 31). The Tamassee river is powerful; it seems to overcome all things thrown at it. One literal way is when the river overpowers Ruth in the very beginning of the novel. “And at that moment her arms and legs she did not even know were flailing cease, and she becomes part of the river” (Rash 5). Rash states that she becomes part of the river. The river was so overpowering, it stole Ruth’s power making her lifeless. The river controlled the people in the community and their lives because they worshiped its power. Some people dedicate their lives to protecting the river, such as Luke Miller. This is the main reason that many people in the community are against getting Ruth's body out of the river. They were afraid of disturbing the almighty river. Many times throughout the novel Rash mentions the importance of the river, along with its stronghold on the community, to explain to the reader that the Tamassee river is a symbol of