The American West has been a place that people envisioned as somewhere personal destiny could be fulfilled and diligence rewarded. Visions of freedom, wide-open spaces, uncompromised opportunity, and success became the mythic representation of the American West to many people outside of the region. In reality, however, the west's society and economy rarely fit the legendary depiction. Janet Campbell Hale and Kim Barnes were two westerners whose journeys by life exemplified the struggles, instability, and turbulence of the real west. Barnes and Hale explored their own experiences in the American West through writing their personal memoirs. Kim Barnes" In the Wilderness; Coming of Age in Unknown Country delved into her childhood and adolescence as a logger's daughter in northern Idaho. In Bloodlines; Odyssey of a Native Daughter, Janet Campbell Hale utilized short stories to chronicle various stages of her life as the daughter of a Coeur d" Alene. Although the forms of Barnes and Hale's writings were different, both authors illustrated their personal struggles against the reality of western life. Family and transience played major roles in both author's lives while religion and rebellion were important forces in Barnes" adolescence and Hale discussed her adulthood more thoroughly in her work. .
In the last century, thousands of people have moved to the American West hoping to find the economic opportunity and personal satisfaction that eluded them in other regions of the country. Stability and economic success were rarely found immediately upon arrival in the west. People often moved numerous times in hopes that their next stop would bring them to their destiny. The unending search for the mythic west caused a great deal of migration and transiency in the region. Although Hale and Barnes were both native westerners, transience also greatly affected their lives. Barnes usually moved seasonally and for better jobs for her dad.
