So Big · Chapter
IV explained
Selina endures the harsh winter mornings at the Pool farm, refusing to dress behind the kitchen stove like the others.
What happens
Selina endures the harsh winter mornings at the Pool farm, refusing to dress behind the kitchen stove like the others. She battles the cold, the frozen water, and her icy corset, even drawing a demon face on the parlor stove drum. At school, she struggles with the stove and the wind. She finds solace in Roelf Pool, reading to him while he carves, and is enchanted by his crude but striking sketch of the Haymarket. A trip to Chicago to visit Julie Hempel ends in disappointment when Mrs. Hempel turns her away; Selina defiantly treats herself to a lavish luncheon at the Auditorium Hotel, then buys presents for the Pools and returns gratefully to the farm.
Themes in this chapter
Class and Social Mobility
Selina's refusal to dress behind the stove reflects her desire to maintain a sense of refinement and distinction from the peasant life she observes.
Beauty and Art
Roelf's crude but effective sketch of the Haymarket impresses Selina, highlighting the artistic impulse emerging from a harsh rural environment.
The American Dream and Disillusionment
Selina's trip to Chicago ends in rejection by the Hempels, leading her to defiantly vow future importance, yet she finds comfort in returning to the farm.
Characters to notice
- Selina DeJong
Endures the freezing mornings, refuses to dress behind the stove, draws a demon face on the drum, teaches at the schoolhouse, reads to Roelf, makes a disappointing trip to Chicago, and returns to the farm.
- Maartje Pool
Calls Selina down to dress by the stove, shows tender affection for Roelf, and is seen smiling at Selina and Roelf's laughter.
- Roelf Pool
Carves wood in the shed, dreams of buying his mother a silk dress and driving to market alone, shows Selina his sketch of the Haymarket.
- Klaas Pool
Berates Roelf, drives Selina to the railway station for her trip to Chicago.
- Julie Hempel
Selina writes to her but receives no reply; Mrs. Hempel says Julie is visiting a friend in Kansas City.
- Mrs. Hempel
Thin-lipped, meets Selina in the hall and tells her Julie is out of town, does not invite her in.
Key passages
“I won't come down to dressing behind the kitchen stove like a—like a peasant in one of those dreadful Russian novels.”
Selina refuses to dress by the stove, associating it with peasant behavior she disdains.
Shows Selina's class consciousness and determination to maintain her own standards.
“When I am a man, and earning, I am going to buy my mother a silk dress like I saw in a store in Chicago and she should put it on every day, not only for Sunday; and sit in a chair and make little fine stitches like Widow Paarlenberg.”
Roelf dreams of buying his mother a silk dress so she can enjoy leisure and fine handiwork.
Reveals Roelf's ambition and tenderness toward his mother.
“I don't care. Just you wait. Some day I'm going to be—oh, terribly important. And people will say, 'Do you know that wonderful Selina Peake?'”
After being snubbed by Mrs. Hempel, Selina vows to become important and be recognized.
Illustrates Selina's resilience and determination to rise above rejection.