So Big

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

On her arrival in High Prairie, Selina immediately notes the clothing of the people. For all their strange ways, Klaas and Maartje Pool are welcoming. Their repaired, worn clothing seems starkly different from the styles Selina saw in Chicago. The difference in clothing is a reminder to Selina that she is in a very different place. The contrast in clothing is, in a metaphorical sense, a contrast between urban and rural environments. It also symbolizes the invisible labor that constrains women’s lives in this rural environment: Selina observes that most of the clothes seem to be either handmade or repeatedly repaired at home. The women of High Prairie, she realizes, are responsible for clothing their entire families, and they rarely receive credit for this. Clothing is just another example of the invisible, thankless work of women that is taken for granted by the local men. As well as the poorer clothing, however, Selina is also shown Maartje’s bridal gown. The gown is striking, but also homemade. Like the regular clothing, it has been repaired and adjusted many times over the years. Various women of various sizes have worn this dress at various times, yet the dress symbolically unites them across generations.