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Chapter 21
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Little Britches, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Fathers, Sons, and Growing Up
Honesty and Pride
Work and Society
Community, Resources, and Conflict
Home and the American West
Summary
Analysis
In recognition of all the money he earned for their family, Ralph’s parents invite him to help make financial decisions. Ralph’s mother does most of the calculations, and then Ralph and his father travel to Denver to pick up the supplies. They buy Ralph new shoes, and then Ralph’s father leaves him with Cousin Phil while he finishes shopping. Cousin Phil looks terrible, and his office is barren. He explains that the gold panic hit him hard, ruining a big deal for him, and he offers to let Ralph use his horse Prince on the ranch for a while.
Ralph’s parents decide to include him in their financial decision-making, acknowledging his significant contributions to their family’s income as well as Ralph’s growing maturity. This marks a new chapter in Ralph’s relationship to his parents, signaling the next phase in his transition into adulthood. Despite his young age, Ralph’s relationship to his parents increasingly resembles an adult-adult dynamic rather than a parent-child one.
Themes
Ralph’s father returns with canning jars and several large packages. He explains that everything was cheaper because of the panic, and they had been able to buy more than expected. Ralph asks after Cousin Phil, and his father explains that the gold panic had “clipped his wings.” Ralph’s father reflects on how lucky they are to have a good home with regular food. Before heading home, Ralph and his father share a custard pie and talk about all the new things they’ve accomplished since moving to Colorado two years ago. Ralph and his father feel optimistic about their future and feel like rich men the next morning.
The gold panic proves to be a blessing in disguise, with prices for good being cheaper than expected. Because of this, Ralph’s family is able to buy more than they anticipated, giving them hope for their future. However, not everyone, including Cousin Phil, shares their fortune, and Ralph and his father are acutely aware of how fleeting fortunes can be. Therefore, Ralph and his father’s dominant emotion is gratitude, reflecting on how lucky they are to have come so far since first moving to Colorado.
Themes
Before school starts, Ralph’s family stores their vegetables in the cellar, selling the rest to army officers. Ralph’s mother correctly reasons they have not been hit as hard by the panic. In the meantime, Prince gets healthier, and Ralph’s father lets Ralph drive him to school until discovering that Ralph is using him for bucking. Ralph’s family gets a new brood mare named Lady, who soon gives birth to a colt, which Grace names Babe. Ralph’s father explains that they bought Lady with the receipts they earned from haying. Ralph reports Christmas as even better than the last, with better food and more presents.
Ralph’s family continues to prosper thanks to Ralph’s mother’s savvy business acumen. Predicting the government-paid army officers to be hit less hard by the gold panic, she cleverly targets them as customers, selling their crops door to door. This tactic proves wildly successful, and Ralph’s family enjoys the unprecedented prosperity, purchasing a new mare and hosting an extravagant Christmas.
Themes
This year, Ralph’s family’s crops do well, and they harvest lots of beans, oats, and sugar beets. Their pigs do especially well due to their diet of sugar beets, and everyone around trades them tools and machines for beets. Ralph’s father makes a deal with the landlord to help build roads in exchange for owing fewer beans, and Ralph and his father begin road work. While hauling gravel, Ralph gets stuck and abuses the horses to make the wagon move. Ralph’s father scolds him and quickly rights the problem. Ralph is impressed, reflecting that he always loves his father after he scolds him.
Ralph’s parents again demonstrate their business acumen, with Ralph’s father negotiating for lower rent payments. While working on the roads, Ralph finds himself in a situation where he feels compelled to treat the horses poorly to get the job done. This, per Ralph’s father, is inappropriate. Thus, Ralph’s father continues to teach Ralph to be kind and compassionate towards his animals, making Ralph a better horseman and strengthening their bond in the process.
Themes
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Ralph describes the winter as the best they ever had. Though they did not make a lot of money that year, they are able to harvest and store lots of food and make many improvements to their living situation. In the evenings, Ralph and Grace do their homework quickly to make time to play. They perform Shakespeare plays or cross-stitch chair covers for their mother while she reads to them. Sometimes Carl Henry and Miss Wheeler come over to play whist with their parents, and occasionally they bring Doctor Browne. He plays casino with Grace and Ralph, and they like him a lot.
After the successes of the fall, Ralph and his family settle down to an unprecedently comfortable winter season, reveling in each other’s company and finding many pleasurable ways to entertain themselves. This suggests that, while economic prosperity is not a prerequisite for happiness, this sense of security bolsters the contentment that Ralph’s family already feels. And some of their happiness does from their robust community, members of which visit often to play.
Themes
