Driven Back to Eden · Chapter
A Momentous Expedition explained
The family forgoes Christmas treats to buy agricultural books and supplies, embarking on a joyful expedition to a Broadway store.
What happens
The family forgoes Christmas treats to buy agricultural books and supplies, embarking on a joyful expedition to a Broadway store. Each child selects books suited to their interests, and the father promises Merton a gun on condition he avoids smoking. The outing reinforces their shared dream of country life, and they return home feeling happier than the city's theater-goers.
Themes in this chapter
Escape from City Life
The family's joyful expedition to buy agricultural books symbolizes their deliberate turn away from urban distractions toward a rural future.
Moral Education and Discipline
The father's conditional promise of a gun—tied to a no-smoking pledge—illustrates a moral lesson in self-control and healthy living.
Characters to notice
- Papa
Leads the family expedition, buys practical books, and promises Merton a gun with a no-smoking condition.
- Winnie
Receives a book on poultry and declares she hears cocks crowing at dawn.
- Merton
Chooses a book on game and is promised a breech-loading shotgun; agrees not to smoke until 21.
- Mousie
Quietly enjoys a book about flowers, showing faint color and soft lustre in her eyes.
- Bobsey
Wants everything in the store but settles for a book illustrated with pigs, mimicking their sounds later.
Key passages
“None of those people are so happy as we are, trudging in this roundabout way to our country home.”
The wife observes that their simple, purposeful walk makes them happier than the elegantly dressed theater-goers in carriages.
Highlights the family's contentment with their modest, goal-oriented lifestyle compared to urban luxury.
“I whispered in her ear, 'Your present shall be the home itself, for I shall have the deed made out in your name, and then you can turn me out of doors as often as you please.'”
The father tells his wife he will give her the deed to the farm as a gift, jokingly giving her the power to evict him.
Shows the father's affectionate and trusting nature, reinforcing the theme of family unity.