Life Lessons from ‘Farmer Boy’ by Laura Ingalls Wilder’s: An In-Depth Analysis

Laura Ingalls Wilder’s “Farmer Boy” is more than just a captivating story of a young boy’s life on a farm; it is a treasure trove of valuable lessons and timeless wisdom. Set against the backdrop of 19th-century rural America, the novel follows the adventures and daily routines of Almanzo Wilder. Through Almanzo’s experiences, readers gain insight into the virtues of hard work, perseverance, and the importance of family. In this article, we delve into the significant events of “Farmer Boy” and explore the profound lessons they impart.

And specially note that- “Farmer Boy” by Laura Ingalls Wilder is written about one year in the childhood of Almanzo, the author’s husband. The author is famous for her autobiographical “Little House” series, and “Farmer Boy” is the second published book in this series. The novel vividly depicts the life of farmer families in America during the 1800s.

This article provides a summary of the story “Farmer Boy” along with a detailed discussion of its notable events and the lessons learned from them.

Synopsis of Farmer Boy

Almanzo lives with his family in a farmhouse in northern New York State. He is about to turn 8 or 9 years old and has just started attending school with his siblings, although he doesn’t really like school. Instead, he loves accompanying his farmer father in his work. However, during the winter when farm work is at a standstill, farmer parents send their children to school. So, Almanzo has to attend school during this season.

Among the four siblings, Almanzo is the youngest, but his behavior suggests that he is already capable of taking on significant responsibilities. He can already help his father with many farm tasks, milk the gentlest cows, and he feels very happy receiving his father’s praise. His father is his role model. He admires his father, who is respected and independent even in town. Almanzo dreams of becoming a hardworking farmer like his father because he enjoys every aspect of farm work and finds it fun. Therefore, he is very careful with his tasks from a young age.

There is no shortage of work on their farm. Everyone works equally hard and is active in their respective tasks. The older brother, Royal, and Almanzo help their father with the outside work, while the older sisters, Eliza Jane and Alice, help their mother with the household chores. Their daily routine is extremely disciplined.

This aspect of their lifestyle is one of the most educational and ideal. Children learn to take on family responsibilities from a young age, willingly help their parents with all tasks joyfully, understand the family’s adversities and obstacles, and fulfill their duties accordingly. They are even willing to make sacrifices for each other when needed. These values are rarely seen in modern society and families. Therefore, this book is likely to have a positive influence on the mindset of today’s children.

An In-Depth Analysis of Notable Events and Their Teachings

Daily Life of the Wilder Family

The day for Almanzo Wilder’s family begins precisely at 5 a.m. Everyone wakes up at the same time. Immediately, Royal and Almanzo go to the barn with their father to milk the cows. Meanwhile, their mother prepares delicious breakfasts, and the two sisters help by washing the dishes and setting the breakfast table. Eliza Jane and Alice also tidy up the beds and sweep the house.

After breakfast, Almanzo heads to school with his siblings. After school, Almanzo, still in his school uniform, puts on an apron and engages in his favorite tasks with his father. He helps feed and water the cows, horses, chickens, sheep, and pigs, cleans out the old hay from the barn, and lays fresh bedding for the animals, doing as much as he can at his young age.

Almanzo’s happiest moments come when he gets to see the colts, although his father still doesn’t let him approach them, as any minor mistake could spoil their behavior. Training horses is a difficult task that Almanzo is not yet ready for. He eagerly waits for the day when his father will consider him mature enough to handle a colt. In the meantime, he finds contentment in just looking at them and feeding them carrots from outside the fence.

Evening brings the time for supper while Almanzo works joyfully. Almanzo loves to eat, and the aroma of his mother’s roasted meat and other delicious dishes makes him eager to set the table. He eats with great enthusiasm whenever he gets the chance.

After supper, the family spends some time together. Almanzo and Royal grease their shoes to keep out the cold, while their mother sews, their father sharpens an ax, Alice does embroidery, and Eliza Jane reads aloud from the New York Times. Royal also pops popcorn in their stove’s chimney, and everyone enjoys it with butter.

At the sound of the clock striking nine, everyone stops what they are doing and heads to bed to be ready to wake up at 5 a.m. the next day.

However, Almanzo’s father wakes up several times in the middle of the night to ensure the animals are moving around to prevent them from freezing.

Saturday is Almanzo’s least favorite day because it is bath day. Bathing in -40-degree weather is understandably unpleasant, but it must be done. Almanzo and Royal go outside to chop ice from the roof, filling buckets with it. The ice is then melted on the stove, and water is poured into the bathtub for everyone to bathe in turn. Since Almanzo protests the most, his mother bathes him first.

Sunday is church day in Malone for Almanzo’s family. They get ready early in the morning and ride to town in a horse-drawn sleigh. After the service, they return home and do no work for the rest of the day. This is their rule. Sunday is only for prayer, sitting quietly, and resting, making it a boring day for Almanzo. However, he gets excited in the evening when it’s time for the usual chores and eagerly runs to the animals with his father.

There is much to learn from the orderly lifestyle of the Wilder family, especially punctuality, love and interest in work, not neglecting responsibilities, and each family member doing their tasks properly. These are valuable lessons for modern families.

Mr. and Mrs. Wilder left their children for a week to visit their relatives. They instructed their children to behave well and listen to their older sister, Eliza Jane. In their parents’ absence, Eliza Jane was primarily responsible for managing the household. The children felt a sense of freedom as there was no one to control them now. However, to keep the house in order, everyone had to work together. They cleaned the house, took care of the animals, and kept everything neat.

Despite their mother’s warning, they almost finished all the white sugar reserved for guests by making and eating various dishes whenever they wanted. Overall, they had a fun time. 

Almanzo, however, did not like the extra authority of his older sister, and he grew very angry with Eliza Jane. In a fit of anger, he accidentally damaged the wallpaper in the parlor that their mother had decorated with great care. He was scared of the consequences. But before their mother returned, Eliza Jane sewed the cloth back together just as it was before, so that Almanzo wouldn’t be punished. When Almanzo realized this after their mother came back, he felt even more regretful and developed a newfound respect for his older sister.

There are many lessons to be learned from this story. Parents should occasionally trust their children and give them responsibilities. In the absence of parents, children learn to take on responsibility, make decisions independently, and find solutions to problems. These experiences serve as valuable life lessons for them.

Almanzo’s School

Winter was a time when the children went to school, a season when the snow covered the ground. The farmer families’ children were busy with farm work all year round, so they couldn’t attend school. That’s why parents sent their children to school during winter.

Almanzo started going to school when he was almost nine years old. On his way to school, he was accompanied by his older brother Royal and his two older sisters, Eliza Jane and Alice. Since he was the youngest, it was his responsibility to carry the lunch boxes of his older siblings. Even though Almanzo protested, there was no way to break the rule, so he had to carry a heavy load of lunch boxes.

Not all children at school are well-behaved and good. There are always some troublemakers. There were such troublemakers in Almanzo’s school too, who not only harassed other children but also beat up the teachers. They were so terrifying that the previous winter, before Almanzo started school, they beat a teacher so badly that the poor teacher died. This made Almanzo quite fearful when he first entered the school, wondering when these troublemakers would make the gentle teacher’s life miserable again.

The troublemaker boys harassed the teacher in many ways, constantly misbehaving in class. Their plan was to beat up the teacher as soon as he tried to reprimand them. However, the teacher patiently continued to teach everyone calmly. But their abuse reached a point where everyone was worried that the teacher would eventually lose his patience and as soon as he said something, the boys would pounce on him. Everyone assumed that they would end up harming the teacher just like they did the previous one.

According to the rule, the home school teachers stayed with different students’ families for 14 days at a time. As expected, the teacher also stayed with Almanzo’s family. Almanzo and Royal told their father how the boys were troubling the teacher. Their father warned them to stay out of this trouble. The next day, when the boys tried to provoke the teacher again, the teacher called one of them to come forward. That boy, along with the others, approached the teacher to cause trouble. All the other students were scared for the helpless teacher. But the scene changed in an instant.

The teacher pulled out a black snake whip from under the desk and started whipping the troublemakers one by one. Initially, the boys tried to fight back, but they had to surrender to the whip and ran away. Almanzo and the other children were very happy. Almanzo returned home and told his father about the incident, realizing that it was his father’s idea that helped the teacher deal with the troublemakers. Almanzo felt very proud that his father’s wisdom helped the teacher handle the situation.

Almanzo didn’t like going to school at all and always looked for opportunities to skip school. He told his father that he wanted to be a farmer like him, so he didn’t need to study. His father then explained that farmers needed to do a lot of calculations and know arithmetic. To be a good farmer, one must know arithmetic well. So, he should go to school and focus on learning arithmetic. Almanzo followed his father’s advice and started paying attention to his arithmetic lessons at school.

No matter what profession one chooses, the importance of education is undeniable.

Building an Ice House

In those days, there were no refrigerators to preserve food, and there weren’t many options to enjoy cold food or beverages in the heat. However, Almanzo’s family had figured out an alternative solution.

In the winter, the surface of the lake would freeze solid. Almanzo’s father, along with two other men, would see large blocks of ice from the lake and bring them home. They would stack these blocks one on top of another to construct an ice house.

Royal and Almanzo would leave a 3-inch gap between each ice block to fill with sawdust. They would also cover the top of the ice with a 3-inch thick layer of sawdust. The sawdust acted as insulation, preventing the ice from melting. This ice house kept the ice intact throughout the year, no matter how hot it got. Even after winter had passed, they never ran out of ice. Whenever they needed ice for making ice cream or for any other purpose, they would dig out ice from the walls of the ice house. It was quite a clever arrangement. Intelligent people always find ways to survive and adapt to their circumstances.

Almanzo’s Birthday

Almanzo had forgotten about his birthday until his father wished him. Suddenly, he remembered that today was his 9th birthday.

Almanzo received the perfect birthday gift from his parents. When his father told him that the two calves named Star and Bright were now his, and that he could train them however he liked, Almanzo was both surprised and delighted. He immediately set to work training them. He didn’t have to go to school that day.

The little Almanzo showed great skill in this task. By tempting the calves with carrots, he quickly taught them to move forward when he said “giddap” and to stop when he said “whoa.”

After training the calves, Almanzo received another surprise gift—a sled. This made him even more excited and happy. He spent a wonderful afternoon sledding in the snow.

One of Almanzo’s greatest qualities was his intense desire to learn. He was interested in everything his father did, wanted to learn it all, and would perform any task he was given with great dedication. Because of his passion and love for work, he was able to learn new things quickly. He accompanied his father in all his tasks, learning as much as he could, as he wanted to become a farmer like him. Due to his strong will, Almanzo became quite mature at a young age, understanding the work on the farm well and impressing everyone with his skills.

To be successful in any field, it’s important to have such passion. The more seriously one pursues their dreams, the higher their chances of success. There is much to learn from Almanzo’s father. Certain aspects left a lasting impression on me. He lived over 200 years ago, yet he was so wise and forward-thinking!

“That’s What Money Is; It’s Hard Work“ 

Almanzo’s father had told him this exact phrase when he handed him half a dollar. He also asked Almanzo to consider the amount of labor they had to put in, both indoors and outdoors, to earn that half dollar.

Due to city boy Frank’s teasing, this was the first time Almanzo went to his father to ask for money. His father explained the value of that half dollar and then left the decision up to him—Almanzo could do whatever he wanted with it. He could spend it all today on lemonade or buy a sow that would give birth to 4-5 piglets, each worth 4-5 dollars. Almanzo decided to buy the sow.

Almanzo received an offer to work in a city car workshop, with the added promise that the workshop would eventually become his own. It was undoubtedly a very tempting offer. But Almanzo’s father left the decision up to him—whether he wanted to become the owner of the city workshop or a farmer. His father beautifully presented the realities and pros and cons of both professions.

In city life, there are many comforts, good food, and clothes, and lots of money, but these come with the need to please others and depend heavily on them. It’s almost like flattery. City people are not independent.

On the other hand, if he became a farmer, he would have to work hard, relying on himself, the land, and the weather. But they are 100% independent. They grow their own food and make their own clothes.

Almanzo then decided to become a farmer, an independent profession, because that was his dream. He wanted to be like his father. His father, pleased with his decision, gifted him his beloved Colt Starlight. In time, Almanzo became a truly successful farm boy.

When children are given the opportunity to make their own decisions rather than having things imposed on them, they can excel in their own dreams.

The Self-Sufficient Farmer’s Family of Almanzo Wilder

The Wilder family is truly self-sufficient; they rely on no one for anything. They produce their own food and make their own clothes.

Their farm has cows that produce plenty of milk. Almanzo’s mother makes the best butter from this milk, which people come all the way from New York to buy. Almanzo feels proud knowing that city people are enjoying his mother’s delicious butter! They also make many tasty dishes from the milk.

Their main crops include potatoes, oats, wheat, corn, carrots, beans, peas, pumpkins, turnips, cucumbers, tomatoes, and watermelons. They also have plenty of fruits like maple, plums, strawberries, and blackberries. They make and preserve jelly from various fruits, ensuring they never lack food.

With pigs, cows, sheep, horses, and chickens on their farm, they never run out of meat. Before winter, they slaughter animals and preserve the meat by salting it. They also make their shoes from the animals’ hides. A traveling shoemaker visits their home every winter, staying for 14-15 days to make shoes for the entire family.

Almanzo’s mother knits clothes for them from the wool of their sheep and sells any excess wool to earn money.

The Wilder family is truly independent and self-sufficient. It’s only natural for someone like Almanzo to grow up in such a farmer’s family.

During that era, people’s lives were very uncertain and unsafe. They were heavily dependent on nature. As nature changed, so did their struggle to gather life’s necessities. They couldn’t afford to waste a single moment. In winter, when everything was covered in snow, they couldn’t grow crops. So, Almanzo’s father would work tirelessly in the fields throughout the rest of the year. Both Royal and Almanzo would help their father in the field all day. They worked relentlessly to harvest the crops before the snow started falling. They would continuously plant crops one after another. 

Finally, their faces would light up with smiles when they successfully stored the desired harvest in the granary before nature turned hostile. However, nature doesn’t change its course at the same time each year, and sometimes the weather worsens unexpectedly. Those times are even harder, filled with anxiety and frantic efforts. The Wilders also faced such situations, but thanks to their father’s wisdom and everyone’s collective hard work and effort, they managed to overcome these dangers and save their crops.

They stored enough food to meet their needs during winter and for planting seeds in the spring. They sold the excess produce. 

Almanzo’s father would immediately go to town and deposit any extra money earned from selling animals or crops in the bank. Keeping money at home was very unsafe. In those days, they had to fight off not only fierce wolves, bears, and panthers but also thieves and robbers.

The Malone town fair is very appealing. Children, alongside adults, get a chance to showcase their talents and skills and receive praise for their work. The Wilder family often wins accolades at the fair. Almanzo’s enormous sweet pumpkin wins first prize, while his elder sister Eliza Jane’s jelly and Alice’s wool work are also declared the best.

A tornado causes significant damage to crops and destroys many houses in the village. Then they have to start their lives anew. Farmer families have to work very hard to overcome such disasters because they have no fixed monthly income or salary. They completely depend on animal husbandry and crop production. Even after harvesting, they often don’t get fair prices for their produce. Sometimes, eggplants sell for as little as one taka per kilo, and tomatoes rot at the farmers’ homes because they can’t get a good price. But the prices in the Dhaka market never drop.

Despite the uncertainties of life, they try to live happily. Almanzo’s family does the same and they are happy. This happiness comes from within because they have accepted all the uncertainties, hardships, and challenges of life and have learned to live within them. As a result, they progress little by little and do well in life. They may not become wealthy, but they adapt to life and remain relatively happy, a happiness that is in no way inferior to that of city dwellers.

From this story, we can derive the philosophy that if we want to be happy in life, we can be happy in any situation and can move forward even amidst hardships. No matter how many problems life throws at us, we can try to be happy.

In the novel “Farmer Boy,” various aspects of life are depicted. Even though they live in a village, they participate in town fairs, Independence Day celebrations, and Almanzo and his siblings attend school. Almanzo’s parents give great importance to education, which is a big deal. We should remember that the novel’s backdrop is in the 1860s or 1870s, a time when even in America, people living in villages didn’t value education as much as they do now. The author has tried to convey that education is equally important in rural life.

In Bangladesh, many people still question the need for so much education. However, education is the foundation of life. Just as Almanzo works on the farm, helps with animal husbandry, agricultural work, and household chores, his parents also give equal importance to his education. This way, he gradually progresses in life, and in the novel’s final chapter, we see that Almanzo gets an offer from someone who wants to adopt and raise him to be a successful businessman in the city. While Almanzo’s mother strongly opposes this, his father is quite liberal in this regard. He wants whatever is best for Almanzo and leaves the decision to Almanzo himself.

Almanzo’s father’s approach is quite admirable. He tells his 9-year-old son that it’s up to him to decide what he wants to do and what he wants to become. Most parents in our country don’t do this. Instead, they impose their own dreams and desires on their children. It’s common to see parents wanting their children to study science in high school with the dream of making them doctors or engineers, even if the child is weak in math or science.

As a result, studying science doesn’t benefit them much. The fact that one can excel even in the arts is evident worldwide. About 30% of CEOs of Fortune 500 companies in America have a background in the humanities. Therefore, if one is hardworking, passionate, and has a positive attitude toward education, they can excel in any field, whether it’s science, arts, or commerce.

“Farmer Boy” is a literary gem that beautifully illustrates the richness of rural life and the foundational values that shaped generations. Through Almanzo’s journey, we are reminded of the enduring importance of diligence, resilience, and familial bonds. The lessons from “Farmer Boy” resonate across time, offering guidance and inspiration for readers of all ages. As we reflect on the notable events in the novel, we are encouraged to embrace the principles of hard work and determination in our own lives, just as Almanzo did on his family’s farm.

In “Farmer Boy,” the author portrays the simple life of a 9-year-old boy from a farmer’s family and his family’s modest existence. It’s a heartwarming and educational novel. There are very few stories that are both enjoyable to read and provide so much to learn from. Therefore, we highly recommend reading this book in either Bengali, English, or both languages.