FARMER BOY by Laura Ingalls Wilder illustrated by Garth Williams (1933) and EDDIE AND HIS BIG DEALS WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRARED BY CAROLYN HAYWOOD (1955)
There is a lot to unpack here with
gender roles. I will focus more an Almanzo Wilder, marginally
fictional person, at a later date after I revisit him in the other
Wilder books. But as for what it means to be a boy, a farmer boy, if
you will, you've come to the right place. And Eddie's journey of
discovery from girls being “poison” to accepting them as fellow
humans also has some things to say.
First up – FARMER BOY. Okay, y'all know who Laura Ingalls Wilder is, unless you live under a rock or have never picked up a book. And what the heck are you doing reading this, if that is the case? She is famous, look her up. I rarely look at illustrations, but I can pick Garth Williams out of a line-up. My favorite story regarding him is that, on the back of the Harper Collins versions of the LITTLE HOUSE books, it says that when he was hired to put in new illustrations, he “followed the travels of the Ingalls Family across the midwest” (or something like that). My pal Hillary (a reputable academic librarian) said that when she was a little girl, she thought that meant that when the Ingallses were crossing the prairie, Mr. Williams followed them and observed them “from a respectful distance.” It make me hoot every time I think about it.
So the book is full of the charms of
hard work and farming and being self sufficient. Father is a tough
hard-working man who has made quite a success of his farm and is
passing along his knowledge to his kids. Because Royal, Almanzo's big
brother, is now at the academy (it took me awhile to realize this was
boarding school), the focus is on Almanzo's education. Not his
schooling – he hates that shit – but on the work of the farm. And
that kid works HARD! He does all these things:
- pitches hay
- milks cows
- breaks calves
- makes shingles
- pumps water
- cuts ice
- sorts potatoes
- cleans the cellar
- sows seeds
and this is not even halfway through
the book!
At one point he is hauling logs and has to get his calves out of a ditch, is nearly knocked unconscious by a falling log and works hurt for a whole week, just shaking it off. He also doesn't speak at meals unless spoken to. (Seriously, in the last chapter there is a part where his father asks him a question during a meal and it is as suspenseful as any Stephen King thriller!) He eats like he is going to the chair throughout the whole thing.
There is a lot here about how his
father trains him to be self-sufficient and make his own choices and
the big question at the end is if he will take a position as an
apprentice buggy-maker in town which will lead to a life of wealth,
or if he will decide to stay a farmer like his Father. And it reads
like a moral decision. Should he take a cushy life where he depends
on others' desire for buggies, or work the land like a real man? (Not
even considering that buggy-making is hard work as well.) I bet you
can guess which way he goes!
There is a good bit about “girls'
work vs. boys' work” but the inclusion of sister Alice, who likes
boys' work just fine as a rule, is a nice touch. She is Laura-like in
her desire to have the best of both worlds. It seems to me that
Almanzo learned to appreciate a bit of spunkiness in his womenfolk
that led to his choice of a future wife.
Then Eddie finds out that Sidney is a
girl and his world crumbles. What kind of horrible joke is the
universe playing on him?? Girls suck!
I can't entirely blame Eddie for his
shitty attitude. At one point, when Sidney comes over, he hides in
the closet (paging Dr. Freud) and his dad helps him get away with it,
saying, “She should be ashamed of herself...If she could be a
make-believe boy yesterday, why can't we have a make-believe boa
constrictor today?” (There was a snake involved in the story.) He
also feeds Eddie pancakes when he is hiding from Sidney under the
breakfast table. If you are keeping score at home, Eddie also hides
under the bed. Eddie clearly has issues facing up to his fears.
A bunch of stuff happens, there is
another girl involved who snatches a printing press that Eddie
desperately wants out of his clutches. He has to procure a wig and a
doll to make a trade for what he really wants, there is a rogue
peacock. Eventually he comes to grips with the fact that girls are
not, in fact, poison. And he even discovers that you can be friends
with him.
I predict a lot of relationship issues
in Eddie's future. And maybe a nice golden retriever and a summer
house in Provincetown for Sidney. Maybe some consciousness-raising
for Anna Patricia in about 25 years. But I think they'll be okay.
The illustration are absolutely
delightful. My favorite one is where Eddie has to read out loud in
class and he has lost his place. It is a simple drawing, but you can
see his frustration level with just a few details. Haywood is really
gifted at bringing an emotional bite to her work. And her writing is
clear and accessible.
It's hard to say how today's kids would
respond to these books. They are both loaded with gender stereotypes,
but in FARMER BOY they are clearly historically-based. In EDDIE, they
are presented as contemporary (which they are clearly not) in a way
that might be confusing for kids and certainly off-putting for
parents with any sort of social conscience. I honestly don't know if
there is as much gender separation in today's elementary schools. I
know in good old liberal New England, we don't allow that nonsense,
but perhaps not everywhere. Even 40 years ago I took cooking and
wood-shop in middle school and still remained the picture of
femininity that I am today. And people on the internet are quick to
call out stereotyping of all kinds. This is a cute story about a kid
with real interests and passions and for a discerning reader who
recognizes that it is a work of its time, it could be enjoyable.
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