How we cite our quotes: (Book.Chapter.Section.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"A dandy boat this is going to make for the little fellow to rock in!... Now he can come along any time!" (1.5.5.21)
When Per Hansa travels into town for lumber, many of us might think he's getting ready to build a house that's nicer than his neighbors'. But Hansa puts aside his competitiveness for the good of his new baby. He wants to use the lumber for a crib instead of his house.
Quote #5
"Huh! […] He could keep his wife and youngsters; but the cow he would have to forfeit eventually, if he couldn't raise other means… Business was business!" (1.5.5.35)
The man in town jokes that Per Hansa won't have to give up his family to pay his debts. But he will have to let go of his cow if he doesn't come up with some money. It's nice to know that even on the frontier, people respect family members enough not to buy and sell them.
Quote #6
The switch whizzed and struck; shrieks of pain arose. The boys at once stopped fighting and gazed horror-stricken at their mother; they could not remember that she had ever laid a hand on tem before. (1.5.6.39)
We know the prairie is getting to Beret when she beats her sons with a stick. This behavior would have been unthinkable back at their home in Norway. But the stress of living on the open prairie is weighing so heavily on Beret that she is acting drastically and hurting her relationship with her sons.