Work and Society Theme Analysis

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.”

“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.

Then he said to me, “Didn’t have no trouble with him, did ya, Little Britches?”

I didn’t want to be carried that night. It just didn’t seem right to be carried home when we were taking the check that I had helped earn. Father understood how I felt, and he walked slow enough that I didn’t have to trot anymore, and let me carry the check home to mother in my overall pocket.

“Yep, they’re easier ways, and it would be easier for him to forget. The lessons you remember longest are the ones that hurt you the most when you learn ‘em. Do you follow what I’m tryin’ to tell you?”

I couldn’t help thinking about what Father had said—that night out on the chopping block—and I said, “I guess I know what you mean.”

“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.’”

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.