So Big

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death. 

By the time Dirk “Sobig” DeJong is eight years old, Selina knows that there is “nothing of the dreamer about [him]” (71). She fights with Pervus for Dirk to attend school; Pervus does not understand why a farmer would even need a formal education. By this time, Selina has accepted that she has become a “farm woman” (72). The small changes she has brought to the farm, however, have required a great effort. Her biggest achievement has been to completely drain and repair the west sixteen, a small plot on which nothing seemed to grow. After her work, made using her small savings, the west sixteen is able to grow asparagus. This asparagus, however, will not be ready for three years, and Pervus is unimpressed by Selina’s investment. Sometimes, she wishes that her unpassionate husband would fly into a rage, just to show some emotion. At the same time, he accuses her of spoiling their son. One day, after being goaded by his father, the youngster Dirk works so hard on the farm that he falls into a dangerous fever. Selina is furious with Pervus, even after Dirk recovers.