Driven Back to Eden · Chapter
II: I State the Case explained
Robert Durham, troubled by the corrupting influences of city life on his children, shares with his wife Winifred his growing conviction that the family must move to the country.
What happens
Robert Durham, troubled by the corrupting influences of city life on his children, shares with his wife Winifred his growing conviction that the family must move to the country. He argues that farming, though unfamiliar, would provide healthier surroundings, meaningful work for the children, and a more secure future.
Themes in this chapter
Escape from City Life
Robert frames the move as a necessary flight from the moral and physical dangers of the city, which he compares to a hostile frontier.
Family and Parental Duty
Robert's primary motivation is protecting his children and wife, and he sees the country as a place where he can fulfill his parental responsibilities.
Health and Wellbeing
Robert explicitly cites the children's declining health (Mousie's paleness, his wife's nervousness) and the need for pure air and outdoor life.
Characters to notice
- Robert Durham
The narrator and father, deeply concerned about his family's welfare and the dangers of city life, proposes a move to the country.
- Winnie
Robert's wife, initially unaware of the gravity of his thoughts, listens as he explains his plan to move to a farm.
- Merton
The eldest son, present during the evening discussion and encouraged by his father to understand the 'why' of things.
- Mousie
A frail child, noted as growing paler and thinner, whose health is a key reason for the proposed move.
- Bobsey
The youngest child, put to bed early, but mentioned as needing protection from city dangers.
- Melissa Daggett
Referenced as the source of a flashy paper that Robert deems harmful to the children.
Key passages
“The children could not step outside the door without danger of meeting someone who would do them harm.”
The city streets are so dangerous that the children cannot even go outside without risk.
Robert emphasizes the immediate moral and physical threats of urban life.
“I propose that we go to the country and get our living out of the soil.”
Robert suggests they move to a farm and support themselves by farming.
This is the central proposal of the chapter, marking the family's turning point.
“Outdoor life and pure air, instead of that breathed over and over, would bring quiet to your nerves and the roses back to your cheeks.”
Fresh air and outdoor activity will restore his wife's health and calm her nerves.
Robert connects the country life directly to improved physical and mental wellbeing.