V explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Class and Social Mobility

  Selina's offer to teach Pervus arithmetic reflects her role as an agent of education and potential upward mobility in the farming community.

• Gender Roles and Independence

  Selina takes the initiative in bidding and in proposing lessons, challenging the passive role expected of women.

Characters to notice

• Selina DeJong

  Attends church and the box social; bids on and wins Pervus DeJong's basket; offers to teach him arithmetic and reading.

• Pervus DeJong

  First seen at church; his basket is auctioned at the social; accepts Selina's offer of lessons in exchange for starting the school fire.

• Widow Paarlenberg

  A wealthy, striking woman who flirts with Pervus DeJong; her basket is the prize of the evening, but Pervus does not bid on it.

• Maartje Pool

  Attends church with Selina and gossips about the Widow Paarlenberg and Pervus DeJong.

• Roelf Pool

  Reluctantly attends church; later at the social, he is restrained by Maartje from approaching Selina.

• Klaas Pool

  Drives the family to church in the farm wagon.

Key passages

• “She thought cabbage fields beautiful; she read books to that dumb-acting Roelf Pool; she was making over a dress for Maartje after the pattern of the stylish brown lady's-cloth she wore (foolishly) to school.”

  Selina found beauty in the cabbage fields, read aloud to the seemingly slow Roelf Pool, and was altering a dress for Maartje to match the fashionable brown fabric she herself wore to school.

  Highlights Selina's unconventional tastes and her efforts to share them with the Pool family.

• “I'll teach you. I'll teach you.”

  Selina eagerly offered to instruct Pervus in arithmetic and reading.

  Shows Selina's generous and proactive nature, as well as her belief in education.