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Ralph’s Father/Charles Moody
Molly Moody, Ralph’s mother, is the matriarch of the Moody family. Along with her husband and children, she moves to Colorado, motivated by the promise of better work for her ailing husband. Though she sees their move as being part of God’s plan, she has trouble adjusting to their new life out West. She finds rancher culture crude and worries about its influence on her children. Ralph in particular causes her concern, as he often gets into trouble by fighting at school, secretly visiting Two Dog, or stealing their family’s chocolate. She tries to counter such influences with her own, reading books of culture to her family and rigidly enforcing her moral code through strict rules, such as holding Sunday services at home. Only after Ralph’s stellar performance in the Littleton Roundup, does she begrudgingly acknowledge the positive impact of Colorado on her children, accepting it as their home. Although resistant to Colorado’s social culture, Ralph’s mother is by no means uninvolved in the family’s economic affairs. While her husband and son are technically the “breadwinners” of the family, her contributions are no less essential to the family’s economic security. Not only does she manage the family’s finances, calculating their yearly income and budget, but she is also a shrewd businesswoman, cleverly selling their produce to government-paid soldiers at a time when the rest of the population is moneyless from the gold panic. This forward-looking practicality proves its worth at the end of the story. Though devastated by the loss of her husband, Ralph’s mother puts on a brave face for her children, pushing them to move past their grief. Despite the difficulties ahead, her unwavering strength gives Ralph and his siblings a sense of security and confidence for the future.
Ralph’s Mother/Molly Moody Quotes in Little Britches
The Little Britches quotes below are all either spoken by Ralph’s Mother/Molly Moody or refer to Ralph’s Mother/Molly Moody. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 1
Quotes
And there wasn’t a sound, except that dry little cough that father had then. When Mother lifted her head, her lips were pressed tightly together, and her voice wasn’t trembly any more. “The Bible says, ‘Trust in the lord and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.’ The hand of God has led us here; we have set our shoulders to the wheel, and we will not turn back.”
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Chapter 2
Quotes
While I was busy, he went over and talked to the man who had been leading the horses out to the ring. They were looking at the cows when I got back, and I saw Fred slip a silver dollar into the man’s hand when he turned away from the corral.
Chapter 3
Quotes
Before we left home, Mother had taken us into the front room and said, “I am not going to have you children grow up to be rowdies and ruffians just because we live on a farm. Ralph, if you get into a fight in this new school, I shall give you a hard thrashing when you get home. The Bible says that if your enemy smites you on one cheek, you are to turn the other.”
“Did you lick him?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good.” That was all. He never mentioned it again.
Chapter 4
Quotes
“I might give you a hard thrashing; if I did, you would possibly remember the thrashing longer than you would remember the injury you have done yourself. I am not going to do it. There were eighteen crossties in the gulch yesterday, and the section foreman told me they were going to replace twenty more. Until you have dragged every one of those ties home, you will wear your Buster Brown suit to school, and I will not take you anywhere with me.”
Chapter 5
Quotes
“Charlie,” she said—it was only more than a whisper—“we came here to save your life. Are you going to throw it away over so little? We need you, oh, we need you, Charlie.” From where we were standing, I saw her eyes fill up with tears, but none spilled over.
Chapter 7
Quotes
Then he said to me, “Didn’t have no trouble with him, did ya, Little Britches?”
Chapter 17
Quotes
I knew Mother would say I had done just the right thing, but I tried not even to think about what Father might say. I couldn’t help it though. And I wasn’t a bit sure he wouldn’t say it was running away from the law and tearing boards off my character house. We had just turned into the Morrison wagon road when I got a big lump in my throat. Then I pulled Fanny around and galloped her back to the hitching rail in front of the Last Chance Saloon.
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Chapter 30
Quotes
“You’re getting to be quite a man now, Son. You’re well past eleven years old, and you can do quite a few things better than a good many men. I’m going to treat you like a man from now on. I’m never going to spank you again, or scold you for little things, and some day it’s going to be ‘Moody and Sons, Building Contractors.’”
Chapter 31
Quotes
Father had always said grace before meals; always the same twenty-five words, and the ritual was always the same. Mother would look around the table to see that everything was in readiness; then she would nod to Father. That night she nodded to me and I became a man.
Get the entire Little Britches LitChart as a printable PDF.
Ralph’s Mother/Molly Moody Quotes in Little Britches
The Little Britches quotes below are all either spoken by Ralph’s Mother/Molly Moody or refer to Ralph’s Mother/Molly Moody. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 1
Quotes
And there wasn’t a sound, except that dry little cough that father had then. When Mother lifted her head, her lips were pressed tightly together, and her voice wasn’t trembly any more. “The Bible says, ‘Trust in the lord and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.’ The hand of God has led us here; we have set our shoulders to the wheel, and we will not turn back.”
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 2
Quotes
While I was busy, he went over and talked to the man who had been leading the horses out to the ring. They were looking at the cows when I got back, and I saw Fred slip a silver dollar into the man’s hand when he turned away from the corral.
Chapter 3
Quotes
Before we left home, Mother had taken us into the front room and said, “I am not going to have you children grow up to be rowdies and ruffians just because we live on a farm. Ralph, if you get into a fight in this new school, I shall give you a hard thrashing when you get home. The Bible says that if your enemy smites you on one cheek, you are to turn the other.”
“Did you lick him?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good.” That was all. He never mentioned it again.
Chapter 4
Quotes
“I might give you a hard thrashing; if I did, you would possibly remember the thrashing longer than you would remember the injury you have done yourself. I am not going to do it. There were eighteen crossties in the gulch yesterday, and the section foreman told me they were going to replace twenty more. Until you have dragged every one of those ties home, you will wear your Buster Brown suit to school, and I will not take you anywhere with me.”
Chapter 5
Quotes
“Charlie,” she said—it was only more than a whisper—“we came here to save your life. Are you going to throw it away over so little? We need you, oh, we need you, Charlie.” From where we were standing, I saw her eyes fill up with tears, but none spilled over.
Chapter 7
Quotes
Then he said to me, “Didn’t have no trouble with him, did ya, Little Britches?”
Chapter 17
Quotes
I knew Mother would say I had done just the right thing, but I tried not even to think about what Father might say. I couldn’t help it though. And I wasn’t a bit sure he wouldn’t say it was running away from the law and tearing boards off my character house. We had just turned into the Morrison wagon road when I got a big lump in my throat. Then I pulled Fanny around and galloped her back to the hitching rail in front of the Last Chance Saloon.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 30
Quotes
“You’re getting to be quite a man now, Son. You’re well past eleven years old, and you can do quite a few things better than a good many men. I’m going to treat you like a man from now on. I’m never going to spank you again, or scold you for little things, and some day it’s going to be ‘Moody and Sons, Building Contractors.’”
Chapter 31
Quotes
Father had always said grace before meals; always the same twenty-five words, and the ritual was always the same. Mother would look around the table to see that everything was in readiness; then she would nod to Father. That night she nodded to me and I became a man.
