Chapter 4 and Chapter 5 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 4: Because the prairie was far from "home" for many settlers, it became a desolate and lonely place, especially when the husband and wife were separated for weeks or even months when the husband went on a hunting trip or to a major town many miles away. At night, the howl of coyotes and wolves would frighten settlers, and sometimes the animals would be brave enough even to attack a settlement. Fire was also a constant worry. Settlers would strip sod from around their home to act as a sort of fire guard, but this was not a foolproof method, and homesteaders had to be constantly ready with water, wet blankets, and grain sacks to beat back fire, considering the arid prairie was so vulnerable to fire.

Times of illness, pregnancy, and childbirth were a particularly frightful...