Notes

This chapter contains snapshots of the American Middle West of 1920. The descriptions of the prairie lands, the farmers and the hunting trip are very vivid. It also shows how Carol is able to focus on nature and find it to be greater than she is. It elaborates on how she rediscovers her sense of dignity and greatness. Her socialistic ideas and dislike of materialism are still intact. She condemns all the rich privileged people -including herself-as parasites, because they live off the hard working farmers. Kennicott defends the system pragmatically. He points out that the town supports the farmers by lending them money and providing them with the other services that they need. He tells her that if the farmers were allowed to be in power, they would make him a salaried doctor so that he will not be able to charge any fees for his services. Carol is silenced by her love for her husband but the conviction of the social injustice remains in her mind.

Another character Raymond P.Wutherspoon is introduced in this chapter in a very humorous manner. His pretensions of being an intellectual and the travelling salesman's responses to each one of Raymie's statements are very funny. When Raymie self - righteously describes how he persuaded the library to withdraw a book which had an immoral theme, the giggling salesman wants to know how he could get his hands on it. When Raymie boasts about how he suggested that the Bon-Ton store should have a cornice, the salesman whispers 'tin' and Raymie is provoked enough to 'bare his teeth like a belligerent mouse'.

Kennicott is presented as a mature sensible person. His love for his wife is revealed in the way he tolerates Raymie and Guy Pollock. He has a sense of humor too. When Raymie observes "Dr.Kennicott wouldn't marry a lady that didn't have (a sense of) humor" Kennicott's remark "you bet. I'm a jokey old bird. Come on, Carrie; let's beat it" proves that he can be witty when he wants.

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