Farmer Boy

Since the Wilder family lives on a farm, hard work and perseverance are essential despite the beautiful pastoral setting. Farming isn’t for the faint of heart. In fact, it’s grueling, physically demanding work from dawn to dusk daily. Almanzo and his family hardly ever get breaks in the year; only on holidays and Sundays after church do they take some time to relax instead of work. Still, every day they complete the needed chores, such as feeding the animals, weeding the crops or shoveling snow, and cooking and cleaning the dishes afterward. The benefits of all their hard work allow them to stay self-sustainable. They benefit by having enough food to eat, fresh water, healthy animals, plenty of clothes, warm shelter, and the shared bonding of working as a family unit. Almanzo in particular takes pride in his hard work and appreciates the incredible food that Mother makes due to their harvesting of crops and milking the cows:

Mother sliced the hot rye’n’injun bread on the bread-board by her plate. Father’s spoon cut deep into the chicken-pie; he scooped out big pieces of thick crust and turned up their fluffy yellow under-sides on the plate. He poured gravy over them; he dipped up big pieces of tender chicken, dark meat and white meat sliding from the bones. He added a mound of baked beans and topped it with a quivering slice of fat pork. At the edge of the plate he piled dark-red beet pickles. And he handed the plate to Almanzo. Silently Almanzo ate it all. Then he ate a piece of pumpkin pie, and he felt very full inside (93).

Almanzo loves to eat the food they grow on their farm, which is one of the many benefits of their hours of work. They also make lots of money by selling their healthy crops, butter, and livestock throughout the year. Money, as Father says, is a reward of hard work, teaching Almanzo this lesson through the symbolic silver dollar. Hours of work lead to monetary rewards, which help the family purchase things they can’t make on their own, such as new wagons or new animals like Almanzo’s little pig, Lucy.

Almanzo and his family have intense perseverance to accomplish the immersive tasks needed on a farm—and Almanzo is exceptionally determined. He never gives up on his longing for a horse, working hard to prove himself to Father. Therefore, Almanzo gives his best efforts to his duties. He patiently trains his calves, Bright and Star, for hours; even when Almanzo gets upset, he never hits the animals. Later, when Bright and Star have trouble hauling the heavy timber on the bobsled, Almanzo doesn’t blame them but himself:

[The calves] 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 (98).

Again, he doesn’t punish the animals or give up. Although he feels extremely frustrated, he never surrenders. He learns from his mistakes and adapts to the situation, learning not to overload the sled or accidentally push his calves into the deep snow. Almanzo can’t control his animals completely, so he must persist in doing his best. Likewise, when he wants to show that he’s old enough and responsible enough to have his own horse, he resolutely protects Starlight from his cousin Frank; he stops Frank from spooking Starlight because he doesn’t let go of Frank’s leg. In addition, Almanzo completes all his chores to the best of his ability, asking for extra time on the farm to assist Father with every possible task—from collecting ice for the icehouse to training the calves—instead of attending school whenever he can. Almanzo works until he’s exhausted when the family needs to save their potato and corn crops from the frost. These are some of many examples in the book that showcase Almanzo’s essential perseverance.