By the Shores of Silver Lake

“‘Charles, I don’t know,’ she said. ‘It does seem providential, fifty dollars a month. But we’re settled here. We’ve got the farm.’ ‘Listen to reason, Caroline,’ Pa pleaded. ‘We can get a hundred and sixty acres out west, just by living on it, and the land’s as good as this is, or better. If Uncle Sam’s willing to give us a farm in place of the one he drove us off of, in Indian Territory, I say let’s take it.’”

Aunt Docia and Uncle Hi’s job offer for Pa sets the plot into motion and gives the Ingalls a new hope after the difficulties facing them at the start of the novel, including poor harvests, a recent bout of scarlet fever, and debts. Ma and Pa’s dialogue presents some of their key traits, such as Ma’s caution and Pa’s optimism. While they have contrasting personalities and differing views on many subjects, the bond between Laura’s parents is strong, allowing them to adapt to significant changes.

“Laura knew then that she was not a little girl any more. Now she was alone; she must take care of herself. When you must do that, then you do it and you are grown up. Laura was not very big, but she was almost thirteen years old, and no one was there to depend on. Pa and Jack had gone, and Ma needed help to take care of Mary and the little girls, and somehow to get them all safely to the west on a train.”

Her father’s departure westward and the loss of her beloved dog—both in one morning—force Laura to grow up. Her realization that “she was not a little girl any more” marks a significant development in the theme of The Transition From Childhood to Adolescence. Throughout the novel, the protagonist acts on her resolution in this passage by striving to act maturely and shouldering more responsibilities. Wilder’s choice of words, such as “alone” and “no one was there to depend on,” show that this milestone is painful for the young Laura.