As I read Laddie, I noticed several themes throughout the book.
The first theme was nature. Little
Sister goes in to much detail in some parts of the book describing her natural
surroundings, how comfortable she is within that environment, and how she
adores God’s creations. I found it interesting that her pets and playmates were
a blue jay and two chickens.
In a couple of places in the book,
Mother and Father either explain to their children or are looking over their
property. They reflect on the beauty as well as the many uses they have gained
from their property. As an example, the
fruit trees they have planted provide food in the fall, as well as beautiful
blossoms in the spring.
The second theme was education, but
more importantly, how and where this education was acquired. Little Sister had
a fairly vast amount of knowledge for a six or eight year old. Her father
taught her all about nature as they walked and worked together around their
property. It sounds like she had a large amount of time to freely roam the
property. She learned to find answers to her questions from Father, and in the
books their family owned. Formal education didn’t suit her; she wanted to be
outside. She learned her lessons in the top of the granary.
Father was well-read through the
books and agricultural magazines he read every evening. Mother gained her
education at the same time her older children were learning and going to
school. Father knew Mother had very little time for studying, and read to her
and discussed with her while she worked. Most evenings were spent with the
children memorizing and then reciting their lessons to Father. I share Laddie’s
opinion that you never ‘finish’ your education. You are learning all the time
until you die.
In addition to school knowledge,
each child had a list of skills to learn according to their gender before
getting married. Mother made sure each of her daughters could care for a home,
and tested those skills as she took a vacation for one month. Father made sure
each son could do all the work necessary for running a farm, and left them in
charge for a period of time.
The next theme was moral character.
There are plenty of examples of hard work, compassion, and conviction. The
parents did their best not to judge those neighbors who worked hard. However,
they made their opinions known to their children of community members who
didn’t work and lived off the sympathies and guilt of their neighbors. Mother
showed compassion by living the principle of doing unto others when she took in
travelers just as she and Father had been taken in when they first arrived in
the community. Laddie showed his conviction to be true to himself in choosing
farming as his profession instead of a lawyer, as the Princess desired. Your
profession does not define who you are.
The last theme was relationships
with other people and also the animals. The most prominent relationship is
between Laddie and Little Sister. He loved her from the day she was born. He
helped her in her learning. He confided secrets to her. They had a special
bond.
Little Sister was very observant of
her siblings, and knew how to interact with each of them. She mentions that
Leon had a different personality, and she was the only one who understood him.
Whereas some members of the
community avoided interactions with other individuals and families, the
Stantons were friendly with neighbors, regardless of status. Laddie went the
extra mile to work his way into the social graces of Mr. Pryor, so he could
date Pamela. My favorite example of relationships is between Laddie and Mr.
Pryor’s dogs, much to the surprise of Mr. Pryor.
This family was very religious. The
parents had a personal relationship with God. Little Sister tells of the time
Leon went after the ‘Even So’ traveler. She would hear her parents pray for
Leon and said it sounded like God was in the room with them. Because of this
relationship, Father was not afraid to tell Mr. Pryor that his opinion God was
a myth was offensive and not to repeat it in his home, even though Mr. Pryor
became very angry.
Although there are more themes in
this book, I focused on education, nature, moral character, and relationships.
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