Farmer Boy

“‘Thank you,’ Almanzo said. Those were the only words he was allowed to speak at table. Children must be seen and not heard. Father and Mother and Mr. Corse could talk, but Royal and Eliza Jane and Alice and Almanzo must not say a word.”

To show the culture of the time, this section portrays how children weren’t allowed to speak at the dinner table, in contrast to the modern day. In the 1800s, adults had more privileges than children for social interactions. This required that their children listen to their elders and thus gain respect and admiration for them, fostering an atmosphere of family values and generational knowledge.

“Almanzo took care of his moccasins. Every night he sat by the kitchen stove and rubbed them with tallow. He held them in the heat and rubbed the melting tallow into the leather with the palm of his hand. His moccasins would always be comfortably soft, and keep his feet dry, as long as the leather was well greased, and he didn’t stop rubbing until it would absorb no more tallow.”

The theme of hard work and self-sustainability is evident in this depiction of Almanzo caring for his moccasins. Like his family, he values his clothing and treats it preciously, taking time every day to ensure his footwear is usable for as long as possible.

“Even those great barns could not hold all Father’s wealth of cows and oxen and horses and hogs and calves and sheep. Twenty-five young cattle had to sleep under a shed in the barnyard. If they lay still all night, on nights as cold as this, they would freeze in their sleep. So at midnight, in the bitter cold, Father got out of his warm bed and went to wake them up.

Out in the dark, cold night, Father was rousing up the young cattle. He was cracking his whip and running behind them, around and around the barnyard. He would run and keep them galloping till they were warmed with exercise.”

This passage reflects the self-sufficiency, hard work, and agricultural life of the farm setting. Father works before dawn to ensure that the animals don’t freeze, showing his care and responsible nature to protect his animals and his family’s livelihood. Some of the animals will eventually be sold, but he must care for them in the meantime.

“‘The boys didn’t throw you out, Royal tells me,’ Father said.

‘No,’ said Mr. Corse. ‘Thanks to your blacksnake whip.’ Almanzo stopped eating. He sat and looked at Father. Father had known, all the time. It was Father’s blacksnake whip that had bested Big Bill Ritchie. Almanzo was sure that Father was the smartest man in the world, as well as the biggest and strongest.”

Almanzo’s admiration for Father deepens when he learns that he lent Mr. Corse his whip, showing Father’s secretive, smart personality. Earlier, he told Almanzo not to worry about the big boys harming Mr. Corse, and this passage reveals why Father wasn’t worried. Almanzo’s warm feelings for his Father highlight their close relationship and how Father is his mentor and role model.

“He liked Star and Bright, but calves were clumsy and awkward compared with the slender, fine, quick colts. Their nostrils fluttered when they breathed, their ears moved as swiftly as birds. They tossed their heads with a flutter of manes, and daintily pawed with their slender legs and little hoofs, and their eyes were full of spirit.”

The descriptions of the cows and horses, especially in comparison to each other, show the author’s writing style. Her descriptions are direct but generously balanced with adjectives that capture the idyllic farm setting and Almanzo’s romanticization of agricultural living. Through Almanzo’s experiences, the book emphasizes that despite the hardships of running a farm, the life has many appealing qualities, including the vitality and characteristics of the animals.

“Ten pancakes cooked on the smoking griddle, and as fast as they were done Mother added another cake to each stack and buttered it lavishly and covered it with maple sugar. Butter and sugar melted together and soaked the fluffy pancakes and dripped all down their crisp edges. That was stacked pancakes. Almanzo liked them better than any other kind of pancakes.”

Meals were a central part of the simple life in the 1800s, encompassing community and appreciation for hard work. Almanzo loves to eat, and his adoration of food reflects farming itself. He appreciates growing and tending to their crops as well as eating the fresh food they yield. Mother and the others spend time prepping food, cooking, and cleaning up. Meals are homegrown and organic; nothing is quick and convenient (like ordering a pizza in the 21st century).

“Mother always flew. Her feet went pattering, her hands moved so fast you could hardly watch them. She never sat down in the daytime, except at her spinning-wheel or loom, and then her hands flew, her feet tapped, the spinning-wheel was a blur or the loom was clattering, thump! thud! clickety- clack! But on Sunday morning she made everybody else hurry, too.”

Mother’s characterization is apparent in her fast-paced, hurried actions. She’s hard-working, never stopping to relax during the daytime, which reflects the theme of The Benefits of Hard Work and Perseverance. The pioneer life was its own reward, so people appreciated without question the grueling hours of labor that it required. Sunday morning was church, an important aspect of community. However, farm chores still needed to be done—before church.

“The sleigh went like the wind. The beautiful horses shone in the sun; their necks were arched and their heads were up and their slender legs spurned the snowy road. They seemed to be flying, their glossy long manes and tails blown back in the wind of their speed.”

The sensory depictions of the horses show the author’s writing prowess. Her craft encompasses multiple elements at once: She illustrates the horses’ physical descriptions and movements as well as Almanzo’s positive perception of them.

“One very cold Saturday morning, when the calves were feeling frisky, they ran away the first time he cracked the whip. They kicked up their heels and ran bawling around the barnyard, and when he tried to stop them they ran right over him, tumbling him into the snow. They kept right on running because they liked to run. He could hardly do anything with them that morning. And he was so mad that he shook all over, and tears ran down his cheeks. He wanted to yell at those mean calves, and kick them, and hit them over the head with the butt of his whip. But he didn’t.”

Almanzo’s gentle, tender, and determined personality is evident in his perseverance with the calves. Even in the midst of turmoil, when the calves aren’t heeding his commands, Almanzo refuses to take his frustration out on them, which reveals maturity and his love for the animals. He respects them and recognizes that the calves, like him, aren’t perfect. Almanzo’s reaction reflects Father’s approach to discipline and his advice about training the animals.

“At noon all the sap was boiling in the caldron. Father opened the lunch-pail, and Almanzo sat on the log beside him. They ate and talked. Their feet were stretched out to the fire, and a pile of logs was at their backs. All around them were snow and ice and wild woods, but they were snug and cosy.”

The rural life theme and the closeness Almanzo and his father share are apparent when they harvest sap from the trees together. The setting descriptions and casual talking while working hard display their closeness. The old-fashioned spelling of “cosy” (versus cozy) reflects the spelling conventions of the 1800s.

“A good horseman always takes care of his horses before he eats or rests.”

This adage is a motto and moral responsibility that Almanzo and his family follow. One of their main priorities is to take care of their animals because they’re useful, nearly equal partners on the farm. The family can’t survive without their animals and thus highly respect them and lovingly care for them.

“There was no time to lose, no time to waste in rest or play. The life of the earth comes up with a rush in the springtime. All the wild seeds of weed and thistle, the sprouts of vine and bush and tree, are trying to take the fields. Farmers must fight them with harrow and plow and hoe; they must plant the good seeds quickly.”

The personification of the earth and plants themselves, using an almost spiritual, reverent tone, shows how integral they are to farm life. By making the earth itself a character here, the author emphasizes that farmers must work with and against the land to accomplish their tasks. They time tasks according to the season’s whims and patterns.

“Almanzo was a little soldier in this great battle. From dawn to dark he worked, from dark to dawn he slept, then he was up again and working.”

The theme of hard work is apparent in Almanzo’s working from dawn to dusk to ensure that he’s pulling his weight on the farm. The metaphor of Almanzo as a soldier portrays how hard he’s working by likening his regimen to that of a well-trained, resolute, and purposeful soldier.

“Mr. Brown examined the good, clean rags of wool and linen, while Mother looked at the shining tinware, and they began to trade.”

To fit the 1800s time frame, this scene of trading reflects the setting well. Not everyone used money during this time, instead choosing to barter and negotiate. Since everyone worked hard, they put great value into the items they diligently worked to create, such as wool and tinware.

“Almanzo knew that in the whole world there was nothing so beautiful, so fascinating, as beautiful horses. When he thought that it would be years and years before he could have a little colt to teach and take care of, he could hardly bear it.”

Almanzo yearns for nothing more than a horse, which the author blatantly describes in his internal thoughts. He can’t bear to be denied his greatest longing, his craving to have his own beautiful horse. Giving characters a deep desire is necessary for their arc because they experience breakthroughs and setbacks while working toward their goal.

“When evening came, all the sheep were washed. Clean and fluffy-white, they scattered up the slope, nibbling the grass, and the pasture looked like a snowball bush in bloom.”

In this peaceful pastoral scene, the sheep and their white bodies make great fodder for the author’s imaginative simile of a snowball bush, conjuring a memorable image that connotes freshness, order, and contentedness. In addition, the passage emphasizes the number of sheep and the visual reward of having washed them.

“In an instant the earth turned from black to gray. The sun was coming to kill the corn. Almanzo ran to fill his pail; he ran back. He ran down the rows, splashing water on the hills of corn. His shoulders ached and his arm ached and there was a pain in his side. The soft earth hung on to his feet. He was terribly hungry. But every splash of water saved a hill of corn.”

The essential need to adapt to the weather and the family’s camaraderie shows their perseverance. They rush to save the corn because they know the importance of their crops as their livelihood. The observation about each splash of water recalls the silver dollar symbolism: Like every other task on the farm, every time it is performed is a step toward survival in a life of self-sufficiency.

“All the flags were fluttering and everybody was happy, because they were free and independent and this was Independence Day.”

The Independence Day festival is described in patriotic, joyous, and grateful terms. These few sentences highlight the merriment of the day, an atypical one in which Almanzo and his family don’t work but enjoy a relaxing, special holiday to celebrate and appreciate their hard-earned freedom.

“He didn’t dare speak to Father about fishing, because it was wrong to waste time in idleness.”

The theme of hard work takes on a new level of respect: Work is necessary and good, while idleness isn’t viewed positively. Working hard is the law of success, but spending valuable time on a fun activity can be seen as wrong, a lesson Almanzo has ingrained in his mind. He and Father end up going fishing on a rainy day but still catch fish to eat.

“Nothing ever smelled so good as the rain on clover. Nothing ever felt so good as raindrops on Almanzo’s face, and the wet grass swishing around his legs. Nothing ever sounded so pleasant as the drops pattering on the bushes along Trout River, and the rush of the water over the rocks.”

The sensory imagery uses the repetition of “ever [...] so good” to mirror Almanzo’s feelings for nature. He adores every part of the natural world, keen to notice the sights, smells, and other sensory experiences of the world around him that immerse him in a day of fishing.

“‘You wouldn’t find two alike in the whole world, son,’ Father said. ‘Not even two blades of grass are the same. Everything is different from everything else, if you look at it.’”

Referring to trees, Father notes that no two trees are the same, teaching Almanzo about uniqueness and to focus his attention on the differences between all elements in the world. If Almanzo looks closely, paying attention to nature, he’ll discover that everything is distinctive, that each thing has its own character.

“‘Any time you want to spend a nickel, you stop and think how much work it takes to earn a dollar.’

‘Yes, Father,’ Almanzo said. He was thinking that he had more than enough money to buy a little colt. He could break a little colt of his own; he could teach it everything. Father would never let him break one of his colts.”

Learning the value of money, about how much hard work earns a single dollar, teaches Almanzo the worth of his labors. He shouldn't just spend his money without intention, though he still yearns for his horse, which is his main goal throughout the book and is at the core of his animal-loving character.

“‘He’s too young to know his own mind,’ Mother objected. Almanzo took another big mouthful of pie. He could not speak till he was spoken to, but he thought to himself that he was old enough to know he’d rather be like Father than like anybody else. He did not want to be like Mr. Paddock, even. Mr. Paddock had to please a mean man like Mr. Thompson, or lose the sale of a wagon. Father was free and independent; if he went out of his way to please anybody, it was because he wanted to.

[...] Almanzo didn’t exactly know what to say. He hadn’t supposed he could say anything. He would have to do whatever Father said.

[...] ‘You take your time, son. Think it over,’ Father said. ‘You make up your mind what you want.’”

Almanzo admires Father as his positive role model and yearns to be like him, to own a farm and his own horse, but he doesn’t admit this because he wants to be more independent. He has grown into a more mature young man, given the chance to decide his own destiny, which completes his coming-of-age arc and earns him his colt.