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Little House on the Prairie (novel)
Encyclopedia
Little House on the Prairie is a children's novel by Laura Ingalls Wilder
and was published in 1935. This book is the third of the series of books known as the Little House series.
The book tells about the months the Ingalls family spent on the prairie
of Kansas
, around the town of Independence, Kansas
. Here, unlike in the original Little House, the family meets difficulty and danger. They fall ill from malaria
, and their farm does not prosper. Irony
also becomes a part of this book. Ma's prejudice
about American Indian
s, and Laura's childish feelings, are shown side by side with the portrayal of the Osage
tribe that lives on and owns that land. And by the end of the book, all the family's work is undone when they are forced to move from their plains home.
) and lived there between 1869 and 1870; baby Carrie
was born there in August and a couple of weeks after her birth, they were forced to leave the territory. They moved back to Wisconsin where they lived the next four years. In 1874 they started for Walnut Grove, Minnesota
, stopping for a while in Lake City, Minnesota
.
The Ingalls family were squatters on the Osage Indian reservation and had no legal right to occupy their little house on the prairie. The Ingalls decision to abandon their farm seems based on the fact that the federal government decided to sell the Osage land at $1.25 an acre rather than recognize the claims to the land by homesteaders and squatters such as the Ingalls family.
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder was an American author who wrote the Little House series of books based on her childhood in a pioneer family...
and was published in 1935. This book is the third of the series of books known as the Little House series.
The book tells about the months the Ingalls family spent on the prairie
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
of Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, around the town of Independence, Kansas
Independence, Kansas
Independence is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 9,483.-Geography:...
. Here, unlike in the original Little House, the family meets difficulty and danger. They fall ill from malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
, and their farm does not prosper. Irony
Irony
Irony is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is a sharp incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident intention of words or actions...
also becomes a part of this book. Ma's prejudice
Prejudice
Prejudice is making a judgment or assumption about someone or something before having enough knowledge to be able to do so with guaranteed accuracy, or "judging a book by its cover"...
about American Indian
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
s, and Laura's childish feelings, are shown side by side with the portrayal of the Osage
Osage Nation
The Osage Nation is a Native American Siouan-language tribe in the United States that originated in the Ohio River valley in present-day Kentucky. After years of war with invading Iroquois, the Osage migrated west of the Mississippi River to their historic lands in present-day Arkansas, Missouri,...
tribe that lives on and owns that land. And by the end of the book, all the family's work is undone when they are forced to move from their plains home.
Historical background
The Ingalls family moved to Kansas from Wisconsin in 1868 (they stopped for a while in Rothville, MissouriRothville, Missouri
Rothville is a village in Chariton County, Missouri, United States. The population was 93 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Rothville is located at ....
) and lived there between 1869 and 1870; baby Carrie
Carrie Ingalls
Caroline Celestia "Carrie" Ingalls Swanzey was the third child of Charles and Caroline Ingalls, and was born in Montgomery County, Kansas...
was born there in August and a couple of weeks after her birth, they were forced to leave the territory. They moved back to Wisconsin where they lived the next four years. In 1874 they started for Walnut Grove, Minnesota
Walnut Grove, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 599 people, 291 households, and 178 families residing in the city. The population density was 577.7 people per square mile . There were 341 housing units at an average density of 328.9 per square mile...
, stopping for a while in Lake City, Minnesota
Lake City, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,950 people, 2,131 households, and 1,402 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,166.9 people per square mile . There were 2,347 housing units at an average density of 553.3 per square mile...
.
The Ingalls family were squatters on the Osage Indian reservation and had no legal right to occupy their little house on the prairie. The Ingalls decision to abandon their farm seems based on the fact that the federal government decided to sell the Osage land at $1.25 an acre rather than recognize the claims to the land by homesteaders and squatters such as the Ingalls family.
External links
- Little House Books
- The Journeys of Laura Ingalls Many images and text