Will Kennicott Timeline and Summary

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• Will shows up at a party and meets Carol Kennicott. He tells her a bit about his life working as a doctor in a small town called Gopher Prairie. When he finds out about Carol's dreams to help improve a small town, he says that Gopher Prairie is just the right place for her.
• Will eventually convinces Carol to marry him and move to Gopher Prairie. He finds out pretty quickly, though, that Carol isn't very happy in the town.
• Will does what he can to make Carol happier, but in the end, he can't change himself or the people of Gopher Prairie, and neither can Carol. His next strategy is to try and make Carol love Gopher Prairie the way it is—but that's just the problem. Carol doesn't really love anything the way it is.
• As time passes, Will gets frustrated with Carol's constant complaining, and he finally up and asks her what she wants. Carol can't really answer this question, which makes Will even more frustrated. The two of them start keeping out of each other's way.
• Will catches Carol having a bit of an emotional affair with a tailor's assistant named Erik Valbourg. Will isn't all that mad, but he wants Carol to put a stop to the relationship. He thinks that Carol's ideas of romantic love are silly and unrealistic.
• Carol says she wants to move out of Gopher Prairie and to take their son with her. Will lets her go and says he'll be waiting if she ever wants to come back.
• Will travels to Washington, D.C. to visit Carol in her new home. She thinks that he's come to convince her to go back to Gopher Prairie, but he actually thinks it's better for her to stay in Washington until she figures out what she wants.
• Carol eventually returns to Gopher Prairie, and Will welcomes her with open arms.