Driven Back to Eden · Chapter
We Shall All Earn Our Salt explained
The chapter details a long, eventful day on the farm during the raspberry and cherry harvest.
What happens
The chapter details a long, eventful day on the farm during the raspberry and cherry harvest. Mr. Durham pays Bagley and his children for their work, then faces a summer shower to deliver fruit to market. He establishes strict rules for Bagley's children, separating them from his own, and manages the workforce through a sudden thunderstorm. The family shares their cherry pudding with the Bagleys, and the day ends with a sense of shared purpose and hard work.
Themes in this chapter
Self-Reliance and Hard Work
Mr. Durham faces a summer shower to deliver fruit, emphasizing that facing weather is part of his business. The family and hired hands work intensely to save the cherry crop before the storm.
Family and Parental Duty
Mr. Durham sets strict boundaries between his children and Bagley's, yet shares food and offers rewards. The family votes to share their pudding, and Mr. Durham and his wife engage in playful generosity.
Community and Neighborliness
Bagley advises on cherry picking, Rollins agrees to Bagley's wish, and the Durhams share their cherry pudding with the Bagley family, fostering goodwill.
Characters to notice
- Bagley
Works as a hired hand, receives payment, and agrees to buy only food. His children are put to work picking fruit under strict rules.
- Merton
Helps drive to the landing, nearly falls asleep from exhaustion, and is put in charge of Bagley's children in the raspberry patch.
- Winnie
Picks raspberries with Bobsey and helps during the thunderstorm.
- Bobsey
Picks raspberries with Winnie, and his faint voice is noted when voting to share pudding.
- Mousie
Helps pick raspberries until the sun grows too warm, then aids during the storm.
- Mr. Durham
Manages the harvest, sets rules for Bagley's children, and exchanges his pudding plate with his wife's as a joke.
Key passages
“Facing the weather is a part of my business; and I'd face a storm any day in the year if I could make thirty dollars.”
Enduring bad weather is just part of the job, and I would willingly go out in a storm any day if it meant earning thirty dollars.
Mr. Durham justifies his decision to travel to market in the rain, highlighting his commitment to hard work and financial gain.
“I'm not afraid but that we shall all earn our salt.”
I have no doubt that every one of us will earn our keep.
Winifred's response to Mr. Durham's concerns about the summer campaign, expressing confidence in their collective effort.
“There should be no quixotic sentiment in our relations, and no companionship between his children and mine.”
I will not allow unrealistic idealism in how we interact, and Bagley's children will not be playmates with my own.
Mr. Durham establishes a clear boundary between the hired children and his own, prioritizing discipline over sentiment.