Sarah Wheaton

Character Analysis

Mail Order Bride

How's this for an old fashioned twist on finding a wife/stepmom: When the Witting family first learns of Sarah Wheaton's existence, it's through her response to Jacob's newspaper ad for a wife. Whoa.

Needless to say, she's a complete stranger to them all. She starts writing with Jacob and the children in order to get to know them—you know, since she's considering joining their family and all, which is a big deal. Sarah will miss Maine and her family, but she knows that now that her brother has married, her sister-in-law will be the new woman running the household, and she probably won't want Sarah to stay with them forever. Remember: this book takes place a long time ago, in an era when women didn't have a whole lot to look forward to besides becoming a wife and mother. It was just what was expected of them.

And so Sarah finds the Witting family through a newspaper ad and asks them about where they live and what it's like:

I am strong and I work hard and I am willing to travel. But I am not mild mannered. If you should still care to write, I would be interested in your children and about where you live. And you. (1.50)

Although Sarah is traveling to an unknown place, leaving behind her beloved Maine to potentially marry a man she's never met, she doesn't want to go in blind. She wants to know as much as she can about the Witting family—including the children—so she'll know what to expect when she visits.

Independent Woman

Even though Sarah's a mail order bride, she's not some shy blushing flower who's looking for a man to save her. When she gets to Jacob's home, she immediately starts chipping in with the household duties and refuses to sit around and let Jacob do things for her. In a classic Sarah move, when she realizes that everyone around these part drives wagons, she insists that Jacob teach her:

"I can ride a horse, I know," said Sarah. "I rode once when I was twelve. I will ride Jack." Jack was Sarah's favorite. 

Papa shook his head. "Not Jack," he said. "Jack is sly."

"I am sly, too," said Sarah stubbornly. (8.8-10)

Sarah makes it very clear from the beginning that she won't let a man dictate what she can and cannot do. Society might prefer her married and a mother, but Sarah's still her own person. Luckily, instead of fighting her, Jacob allows her to keep her independence—which is probably part of the reason she decides to stay:

"What has Sarah gone to do?" I asked.

"I don't know," said Papa. He squinted at me. Then he sighed and put one hand on Caleb's head, one on mine. "Sarah is Sarah. She does things her own way, you know." (9.34-35)

Because Jacob doesn't try to confine her, and is instead proud and impressed when she learns how to ride Jack, Sarah becomes a part of the Witting family. They understand what she needs.

The Missing Puzzle Piece

Importantly, it's a two way street, and Sarah understands what the Witting family needs, too. There's been a gap in their home ever since Anna and Caleb's mother died, and nothing has been able to fill it. Anna remembers how sad things were when her mom passed:

They had come for her in a wagon and taken her away to be buried. And then the cousins and aunts and uncles had come and tried to fill up the house. But they couldn't. (1.20)

But after Sarah becomes familiar and comfortable in the Witting household, she brings happiness and warmth with her. She manages to take away their grief and make them all happy once more:

We eat our night meal by candlelight, the four of us. Sarah has brought candles from town. And nasturtium seeds for her garden, and a book of songs to teach us. It is late, and Caleb is nearly sleeping by his plate and Sarah is smiling at my father. Soon there will be a wedding. (9.61)

It looks like Sarah is Anna, Caleb, and Jacob's missing piece. At the end of the book, everyone in the Witting household—even Sarah, who has to adjust to a whole new place—is content and feels loved. Finally, the Witting family is complete once more.