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Chapter 8
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
Ralph wakes to find his father has made him his own special whip for the cows. He shows Ralph how to use it, and then Ralph heads to work. He is scared of the cows eating at Fred’s alfalfa, but he soon discovers Fanny to be a more than capable ally at herding. She is not only fast but also intelligent, herding the cows instinctively. Though Ralph falls off a few times, he finds Fanny much easier to ride than Ned. She knows all the cows’ “tricks,” and Ralph’s job mainly becomes anticipating her movements so as to not fall.
The whip is both a practical and psychological gesture of Ralph’s father’s support. Equipped with the whip and accompanied by Fanny, a far more experienced and intelligent horse than Ned, Ralph shows significant improvement. This underscores the importance of having the right equipment and a capable horse, particularly for a novice like Ralph.
Themes
At noon, Grace brings Ralph his lunch. While he eats, she tries to herd the cows herself. Ralph warns her not to ride Fanny, but she persists. She does not heed Ralph’s advice, however, and falls off while chasing a cow. The next time she tries, she nearly gets run over, barely saving herself by hugging Fanny around the neck as she falls off. Grace finishes herding the cows by foot, then leaves, telling Ralph how much better of a rider she is.
Ralph’s sister proves to be every bit as stubborn and rambunctious as Ralph. While Ralph eats his lunch, Grace attempts to ride Fanny, persevering even after falling off several times. This shows that, while she is not afforded the same opportunities as him because of her gender, she shares many of the same desires as Ralph, such as learning to ride a horse.
Themes
Ralph is worried Grace “ruined” Fanny, but after only falling off her once that afternoon, he concludes Grace did not. He has trouble getting the cows home that night but manages to resolve the situation without any help from Fred or his father. Ralph is proud of his work, and even more so when Mrs. Corcoran gives him a quarter. When he gets home, however, his father scolds him for “playing cowboy” and over-riding Fanny. He explains that a good cowboy, like Hi, spares his horse, describing the techniques Ralph should use in the future to save Fanny’s energy.
Upon returning home after his second day of work, Ralph learns an important lesson about horsemanship from his father. Explaining that a good horseman, like Hi, does not make his horse work harder than it needs to, Ralph’s father criticizes him for “playing cowboy” with Fanny. This teaches Ralph that being a cowboy is not a matter of appearance, but rather talent and connection to one’s animals.
Themes
The next day of herding goes well for Ralph. He only falls off one time, and only because he tries to copy one of Hi’s tricks. Otherwise, he tries to herd the cows the way his father told him to, working until Grace arrives with lunch. He wants to show off to her, but ends up hurting himself instead, and Grace blackmails him into letting her ride Fanny again. Ralph agrees and Grace goes for another precarious ride on Fanny. Grace continues to guilt Ralph into letting her ride every day at noon. For his part, Ralph gets better at copying Hi’s tricks and, after the first week, he no longer has any trouble with the cows.
Ralph makes marked improvement in his herding of the cows, a testament both to his natural riding abilities as well as his tireless effort to improve. Ralph is not satisfied with mere herding, however, and begins to practice Hi’s fancy horse-riding tricks. This underscores Ralph’s rambunctious, risk-taking behavior, as well as his idolatry of Hi.
Themes
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