One Boy's Journey In Stephen Dobyns Kansas

In the story “Kansas,” Stephen Dobyns tells how one boy’s journey through life cost him his own life in the end. It starts with a boy trying to get from his school in Oklahoma back to summer school. He is hitchhiking on some back-country roads in Kansas, and to his surprise his life would change forever. Dobyns is a very intelligent author and writer, as you can see from this great story; he is a well known writer of novels, short stories, poetry books and essays. Also he has numerous literary awards and has taught at many universities. I look forward to reading many more of his stories, and maybe a novel or two. The main character is a nineteen year old boy, a middle child trying to get somewhere in life, besides the small town he is from. He has plans of one day being a great pianist in far away places, like playing one day
He struggles within thinking of reasons the farmer should not continue on the journey. He struggles to let the words out, but is still to afraid to talk the farmer out of it. As the conflict within is getting worse as the farmer drives faster and faster the boys realizes he may never get to those far away he places he once dreamed of. How his life could change so quickly, in the hands of a stranger. The young boy sitting and waiting in fear to catch up to the coupe, but it never happened; eventually he was let off in the next town with the promise of never telling the police or anyone else. He has kept that promise; but he takes the time to check the newspapers twice a day, trying to see if there was any news of a killing, but there is nothing. It is easy to relate to the boy, because we have all been in situations that are frightening, and we wish later we would have said this, or did that