Cabin in the Grasslands (Upper and Lower)

Author: (American) Laura Ingalls Wilder / Wu Houkai
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2009-01-01
Features: There is an elderly woman who began writing novels at the age of sixty-five and continued until she was seventy-five, writing a total of nine books. She did not have a high level of education or rigorous writing training. These nine novels did not have suspenseful or intricate plots, nor were they adorned with elegant prose. However, the nine books written by this elderly woman have become classic masterpieces of world children's literature. In all parts of the world, countless children have been nourished by love and gained the courage to face the future after reading this series. For many children, this series has even become an indispensable guide and encouragement during their growth. This series, the "Little House" series of novels, is the work of this lovable elderly woman—Laura Ingalls Wilder. Laura was born in Wisconsin, the central part of the United States. At that time, the American Civil War had just ended, and a wave of westward expansion was sweeping across the country. Laura began moving with her parents at the age of two. Before she turned thirteen, she had been to the vast forests of Wisconsin, the prairies of Kansas, the banks of the Me in Warner Forest, Minnesota, the town of Pepin in Iowa, and the area of Dakota. They had lived in small log cabins and also in dugouts under the terraces. Laura was the second child in her family, with an older sister named Mary, and younger sisters named Laura, Grace, and a brother named Frederick. Mary lost her sight at the age of fourteen after contracting scarlet fever, and Frederick died at the age of nine. The misfortunes of her sister and brother, along with the hardships of settling a new home, helped Laura grow from a naive little girl into a strong and brave teenager. At the age of sixteen, to help Mary attend the expensive school for the blind, she left home alone to teach. At the same time, she met a steady farm boy named Almanzo Wilder. At the age of eighteen, Laura married Almanzo Wilder, who was ten years older than her, and later they had a daughter named Rose. Laura and Almanzo loved each other deeply, but their early married life was very difficult. They worked together and, after years of struggle, their life gradually improved. Later, they settled in Missouri and built a large house with ten rooms on their farm. At this time, Laura's daughter Rose had also grown up, gotten married, and become a very capable journalist. Rose encouraged Laura to write about their past life of westward expansion. They read many works about westward expansion together and discussed writing techniques. Laura began writing novels at the age of sixty-five, and in ten years, she wrote nine books in the "Little House" series. These nine novels are "Little House in the Big Woods," "Little House on the Prairie," "Farmer Boy," "On the Banks of Plum Creek," "By the Shores of Silver Lake," "The Long Winter," "Little Town on the Prairie," "The First Four Years," and "The Joyful Golden Years." Laura's novels were very popular after they were published. By the time she was eighty-seven, the "Little House" series had been translated into multiple languages and published worldwide. In 1957, Laura died on her farm in Missouri at the age of ninety. The "Little House" series can be said to be an autobiography of Laura's early life, with the main character Laura being an embodiment of the real Laura. Laura begins her story with her birthplace—the vast forests of Wisconsin—and uses "Little House in the Big Woods" as the prelude to this series. In this book, Laura observes the little details of life through the innocent eyes of a young girl. The moose and black bears in the big forest, the snow of winter, the green buds on the trees in spring, and the warm glow of the fireplace, the delicious treats her mother made, and her father's melodious piano music—all are Laura's sweet childhood memories. The second book, "Little House on the Prairie," is the most famous and representative work in the series. It describes Laura's family leaving the vast forests of Wisconsin and migrating to the prairies of Kansas in a covered wagon, which is a typical portrayal of the westward settlers of that time. During this move, Laura's family experienced many dangers as they crossed flooded rivers. After arriving in the prairie, they also encountered Native Americans and suffered from wolf attacks, prairie fires, and attacks by heat-related illnesses, but in the end, they still moved into the small log cabin her father built and spent a sweet time living off the land by hunting. The third book, "Farmer Boy," features Laura's husband, Almanzo Wilder. Almanzo was a farm boy from New York. In the book, Laura vividly describes Almanzo's experience of attending school in the sky and also describes his pride when he received his own pony, which he also tamed. Additionally, Laura also expresses her views on the value of money through the account of Almanzo's growth—according to Almanzo, fifty cents was equivalent to working many hours in a potato field. The fourth book, "On the Banks of Plum Creek," describes Laura's family leaving the prairie and traveling through Missouri, Iowa, and Minnesota to settle by the banks of Plum Creek. During their time at Plum Creek, Laura's family lived in a dugout, and all of her father's crops were eaten by locusts, leaving the family in dire straits. Eventually, her father had to leave for work in the East. At this point, Laura was already eight years old, so the perspective of the narrative changes as Laura grows, making the challenges of life and the strength of the family more concrete in her eyes. Additionally, Laura and Mary began attending school, and their relationships expanded beyond the family. The fifth book, "By the Shores of Silver Lake," tells the story of Laura's family leaving Plum Creek and settling by the shores of Silver Lake in Dakota. From Plum Creek to Silver Lake, Laura did not travel in a covered wagon but by train, which was her first time riding a train. At this time, Laura was almost thirteen years old, and since Mary was blind, Laura's personality had changed noticeably. She no longer had a sister to rely on and no longer had the right to be willful and unruly, so Laura had a deeper understanding of growing up and learned to face the things she did not like but had to do. Additionally, for the whole family, life in Silver Lake brought them new hope—her father could apply for a hundred and sixty-acre plot of land here. The sixth book, "The Long Winter." Just after Laura's father applied for land in Silver Lake and built a small log cabin, a terrible blizzard came. At that time, Laura's family lived in a small town not far from Silver Lake, and the blizzard trapped the town, cutting off all communication for seven months. During these seven months, Laura's family had no food and could only survive on a little cornmeal porridge; they had no firewood and could only burn hay to stay warm. They struggled every day to stay alive, and her father even froze his hands while twisting hay bales, making it impossible for him to play the violin. In this case, the two boys in the town solved the problem. They risked freezing to death or getting lost and rode out of town to bring back food. One of the boys was Almanzo. After "The Long Winter," the difficulties gradually faded, and Laura's family gradually entered a better path. With the influx of westward settlers, the small town near Silver Lake gradually prospered, forming the town of DeSmet. The life in the town is described in the seventh book, "Little Town on the Prairie." In "Little Town on the Prairie," Laura is fifteen years old, and she makes friends with other girls and boys at school and begins to pay attention to her appearance. The sensitivity and rebelliousness of adolescence make her realize the importance of self-control. At the same time, her parents saved enough money to send Mary to the school for the blind. Mary's departure deepened the sisterly bond, and Laura worked hard to study and earn money to help Mary stay in school, eventually becoming a qualified teacher. At the end of the story, Laura unexpectedly gets a teaching job and prepares to leave home. The last two books of the "Little House" series are "The Joyful Golden Years" and "The First Four Years." "The Joyful Golden Years" describes Laura's first experience of teaching alone outside her home. At this time, Almanzo was already pursuing Laura, and he drove a carriage to pick Laura up from school every week and take her back, gradually deepening their subtle feelings. At the end of the story, Laura and Almanzo got married, and she truly left her parents and entered a new stage of life with Almanzo. "The First Four Years" is a manuscript discovered after Laura's death. This manuscript describes the little details of Laura and Almanzo's life in the first four years after their marriage. During these four years, Laura and Almanzo's life was very hard. They suffered the destruction of their house, a drought, both falling ill, and the death of their son. The only comfort was the healthy growth of their daughter, Rose. However, Laura and Almanzo were not defeated by the consecutive setbacks. They supported each other with their deep love, still full of hope and courage, and together faced the future, creating their own home. From a westward-expansion girl to a world-famous children's literature writer, Laura's life story is full of twists and turns. The "Little House" series fully embodies the spirit of resilient westward expansion. Laura, with her delicate and sincere writing style, vividly portrays the growth of a girl, and more importantly, she brings to life the family love between parents and siblings, the subtle and enduring love between her and Almanzo, as well as the diligence, bravery, and reverence for nature of people in the westward-expansion era. The value of the "Little House" series lies in the fact that it not only records the history of American westward expansion but also records personal growth. In fact, it wasn't just Laura who lived through the westward-expansion era; our ancestors also used their hands and sweat to build a beautiful home and passed it down to their descendants. When we look back at their lives, we see the wisdom and gratitude they gained through many tests of life—farming, hunting, sewing, building houses, and digging wells. The "Little House" series may not have many plots, but it is a wonderful, enjoyable, and enduring classic of world children's literature. The text is full of charm and touches on many interests of teenagers, such as nature, adventure, animals, family, and growth, which can greatly attract young readers and provide great benefit to their pursuit of knowledge and growth. Today, we publish the "Little House" series, hoping that readers can, through Laura's growth, re-examine their relationship with their family and nature. We also hope that readers can draw inspiration from this difficult journey of westward expansion and, in this modern society of material excess and distant relationships, find simplicity, bravery, resilience, and love!