Little House in the Big Woods

Now that certain themes have been established, a few “firsts” are in store for Laura Ingalls. As she is such a small girl, these are inevitable parts of her early life, but they add to the interest and sweetness of the story. In Chapter 4, it’s Christmas—a time to see family and of course, get presents. One of the most important parts of the holiday for Laura, though, is that she receives her first doll. This doll, whom she names Charlotte, is an important symbol for Laura because it represents the joys and the challenges in her life. Additionally, dolls help children learn their adult duties and can be a sign of status, as the book notes why it’s Laura’s turn to receive a doll. Out in the Big Woods, luxuries are few, but the ones that exist are properly valued in part because they are rare. The cover of the book, iconically illustrated by Garth Brooks, shows Laura cradling this rag doll and looking at it lovingly.

Additionally, readers begin to see the social duty that is an important part of life in the Big Woods. There are no social engagements in the first few chapters of the book, so this is the reader’s first encounter with extended members of the Ingalls family. The arrival of Uncle Peter, Aunt Eliza, and their children, Peter, Alice, and Ella is a big treat for the family, involving playing in the snow: “Laura had never had so much fun” (Page 65). When presents are given out, there is a particular orderliness to it; everyone gets mittens and candy, while Laura, as the youngest girl except for the babies, receives her doll. In this way, jealousy is avoided. However, Ma says to Laura, “‘Laura, aren’t you going to let the other girls hold your doll?’ She meant, ‘Little girls must not be so selfish’” (Page 77). This is an example of Laura learning her social duties.

In the following chapter, “Sundays,” Laura continues learning that lesson, when the role of the Sabbath in the life of the Ingalls family is explained. Laura’s duty here is not merely social but also faith-based, since strictures to not travel or work on Sundays come from the Bible. As a child, she has trouble following the rules, which leads to one of Pa’s stories about how much worse Sundays were back when her grandfather was young. Whippings were commonplace: “‘So you see, Laura and Mary,’ Pa said, ‘you may find it hard to be good, but you should be glad that it isn’t as hard to be good now as it was when Grandpa was a boy” (Page 96).

Other stories and songs continue to appear, with one being told by Uncle Peter about their dog acting strangely yet saving Aunt Eliza from a wild animal, heightening the reader’s sense of danger in the wild. One incident in the chapter “Two Bears” outlines Laura’s near miss of a bear with her mother. The second bear, in Pa’s story, turns out not to be a real bear, but one that his imagination has turned into one. These stories, with their more humorous undertones, are lessons that focus upon how important the awareness of wildlife is to survival on the frontier, even if incidences with them sometimes don’t turn out as planned. Which is, of course, part of the adventure involved in the pioneer lifestyle.

A word about corporeal punishment is appropriate here. During this time period, this form of disciplining children was an accepted part of culture and approved in different versions of the Bible. A number of passages in Proverbs justifies the practice, according to religious leaders, although some critics believe those passages to be mistranslated. In Proverbs 13:24 of the King James version of the Bible, for example, it is written “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him often.” Additionally, Proverbs 23: 13-14 reads, “Withhold not correction from the child; for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shall deliver his soul from hell.” In other words, using spanking or whipping to discipline children was considered a part of a parent’s duty. It wasn’t until the early 1900s that such methods were questioned and the rights of children were considered. Today, such discipline is no longer universally accepted; corporeal punishment is illegal in many parts of the world, although not in many U.S. states, where citizens remain divided about it.