Little House in the Big Woods

Along with all the hard work the Ingallses must daily engage in to keep themselves alive, they must also take care of and help one another. As young as they are, the two sisters in the book assist their parents in doing the work of the homestead while being obedient and kind to one another. As a small homesteading family with a pioneering spirit, they do experience much love and laughter in their daily existence, and the author often stresses how comfortable and cozy their life is when everyone is home and safe: “They liked to be there, before the warm fire, with Black Susan purring on the hearth and good dog Jack stretched out beside her. When they heard a wolf howl, Jack’s head lifted and the hairs rose stiff along his back. But Laura and Mary listened to that lonely sound in the dark and the cold of the Big Woods, and they were not afraid” (Page 44). Much of this is because of the skill and capabilities of their parents, who are both very good at their work, and who keep the little girls feeling safe despite the wildness of their surroundings.

Family life for the Ingallses includes many responsibilities that must not be shirked, along with the type of discipline (as in whipping) that is frowned upon today. In the Ingallses’ day, nuclear families were even more dependent on each other, since they were isolated, especially during the winter when traveling was a physical hardship and technology did not allow the type of connection readers enjoy today.

Ma and Pa also work to make sure their daughters understand their role in the world and have a positive attitude about it. There is no church in their location for the girls to attend, but the family keeps the Sabbath and holds to religious and societal rules that govern the work belonging to women and how children should act. They are teaching their girls manners as well as kindness towards friends and family. Additionally, they want to make sure that, even in the wilderness, their children have a sense of the values that have been important to American culture. This is not just a way of keeping social standards intact despite the lack of urbanism in the pioneer existence, but a way of stressing that along the frontier, people must help one another to survive. Examples of imparting such values include the scene in which Laura is urged to share her doll with her family on Christmas, or when neighbors help one another—when Pa goes to help Grandpa with the maple sugar, and when the owners of the threshers come together to help with everyone’s grain. Laura sometimes feels like she isn’t “good” enough because she gets silent when she is emotional and is unable to show the gratitude she feels towards her benefactors. She understands her social duty, but is not old enough yet to be capable of practicing it regularly.