# Ray Kennedy — The Song of the Lark character guide > Ray Kennedy in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Ray, Kennedy, Ray H. Kennedy **First appearance:** 0003-i ## Snapshot A railroad conductor with a Mexican warmth and a Colorado hardness, he loves Thea plainly and dreams of the fortune that always slips past him. ## Who they are Ray Kennedy is a wandering, self-educated man who reads Ingersoll in the caboose and speaks Spanish like a different person south of the border. He has a high standard of personal honor, a sentimental reverence for women, and a lifelong habit of holding on too long or letting go too soon in every scheme he touches. His patient, unglamorous affection for Thea — and the modest legacy he leaves her — becomes one of the quiet hinges on which her departure from Moonstone turns. ## Relationships ### [Thea Kronborg](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_song_of_the_lark_se/characters/thea_kronborg) _romantic_ Ray is a gentle, devoted suitor who adores Thea and hopes to marry her, but his feelings are unrequited as she pursues her career. ### [Mrs. Kronborg](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_song_of_the_lark_se/characters/mrs_kronborg) _social_ Mrs. Kronborg approves of Ray Kennedy as a potential suitor for Thea, seeing him as a stable and reliable match. ### [Thea Kronborg](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_song_of_the_lark_se/characters/thea_kronborg) _romantic_ Ray is a gentle, devoted suitor who adores Thea and hopes to marry her, but his feelings are unrequited as she pursues her career. ### [Thea Kronborg](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_song_of_the_lark_se/characters/thea_kronborg) _romantic_ Ray is a gentle, devoted suitor who adores Thea and hopes to marry her, but his feelings are unrequited as she pursues her career. ### [Mrs. Kronborg](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_song_of_the_lark_se/characters/mrs_kronborg) _social_ Mrs. Kronborg approves of Ray Kennedy as a potential suitor for Thea, seeing him as a stable and reliable match. ### [Mrs. Kronborg](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_song_of_the_lark_se/characters/mrs_kronborg) _social_ Mrs. Kronborg approves of Ray Kennedy as a potential suitor for Thea, seeing him as a stable and reliable match. ## In the story ### [Part I: Friends of Childhood](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_song_of_the_lark_se/chapters/part-i-friends-of-childhood) A friend from Moonstone who plays a role in Thea's early life. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_song_of_the_lark_se/chapters/vii) Organizes the picnic, tells tales of his past and a lost silver mine, and dreams of a future with Thea. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_song_of_the_lark_se/chapters/viii) Often sees Thea's light burning late; attends the concert and supports her; gives her a hand-painted fan as a gift. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_song_of_the_lark_se/chapters/xiv) Mentioned as someone who might spoil Thea, according to Mr. Kronborg. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_song_of_the_lark_se/chapters/xv) Provides emotional support and reassurance to Thea; secretly plans to propose when she turns seventeen. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_song_of_the_lark_se/chapters/xvi) Shares his knowledge of Cliff-Dwellers and burial mounds; gives Thea a turquoise from an ancient necklace; reflects on his sheepherding past. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_song_of_the_lark_se/chapters/xvii) Takes Thea driving in the sand hills, providing a welcome escape from her labors. ### [Chapter XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_song_of_the_lark_se/chapters/xix) Mortally injured in a wreck; he expresses his love for Thea and his conviction that she is destined for greatness. ### [Departure and New Beginnings](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_song_of_the_lark_se/chapters/xx) Posthumously funds Thea's education through his life insurance, as arranged before his death. ### [Chapter VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_song_of_the_lark_se/chapters/viii) Recalled by Thea as a companion who shared a feeling of empire and belief in her. ### [X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_song_of_the_lark_se/chapters/x) Mentioned as having known about the Mexicans' doings before his death. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_song_of_the_lark_se/chapters/v) Recalled as a protective, teacher-like figure in Thea's past. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_song_of_the_lark_se/chapters/iii) Thea recalls Ray Kennedy's moralizing about the cliff cities and his sense of obligation inspired by the ruins. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_song_of_the_lark_se/chapters/iv) Thea recalls Ray Kennedy's words about the ancient pottery, feeling that he was right about the importance of doing one's best and fulfilling the desires of the past. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_song_of_the_lark_se/chapters/ii) Ray Kennedy is mentioned by Fred in a hypothetical comparison about Thea's past relationships. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_song_of_the_lark_se/chapters/v) Mentioned as one of Thea's 'whistling-posts' and a supporter from her past. ### [Part VI: Kronborg](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_song_of_the_lark_se/chapters/part-vi-kronborg) Mentioned in memory as a figure from Thea's past. ### [Chapter IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_song_of_the_lark_se/chapters/ix) Thea references Ray Kennedy's six hundred dollars as a lifelong standard for measuring value. ### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_song_of_the_lark_se/chapters/x) Mentioned by Thea in a recollection about marriage and artists. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_song_of_the_lark_se/characters/ray_kennedy - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_song_of_the_lark_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_song_of_the_lark_se/characters