By Beth Streeter Aldrich
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Sometimes I think that we homeschooling mothers tend to romanticize the days gone by, yearning to live in a simpler time. We enjoy reading The Little House on the Prairie with our children, and we revel in creating crafts from the pioneer era. A Lantern in Her Hand by Beth Streeter Aldrich will dispel these idealistic notions of pioneer living, while deeply touching your heart with the resilient personality of the main character, Abby Deal.
Abby has her own idealistic notions. She is gifted with a lovely voice and a love of beauty and art. She knows she is meant for creative pursuits, and when she marries Will Deal after the Civil War, he assures her he will help her to realize her dreams. Shortly after they marry, however, Will moves her to Nebraska in a covered wagon where they have an opportunity to have their own farm, but they must carve it out of the prairie. Will has big dreams, too, of what his farm will be and how it will fit into the bigger picture of the neophyte state of Nebraska.
Life for this young couple in their new home is very difficult. The unrelenting wind is a symbol of the unrelenting troubles they must face. Abby frequently wishes she could stop time from flying by, but like that ubiquitous prairie wind, it continues to rush past her. Many times she is on the verge of being able to fulfill her dream of improving her singing, but new calamaties and the demands of her growing family prevent this. At times she is tempted to become bitter when everyone wants to depend on her strength, even when she is feeling spent from all her efforts to survive in her harsh environment. Yet her innate strength prevents bitterness and enables her to give of herself when she is at some very low points in her life.
It was fascinating to follow Abby from a very young age to her death as an old woman. Mrs. Aldrich, who published this story in 1928, was very adept at characterization, a talent which is rare. It is much easier to write an exciting story than it is to create a believable character. I cried many times as I felt Abby Deal's frustrations and griefs. I became angry when she was unfairly treated. I suffered with her as she went through the travails of childbirth and motherhood.
This book is not modern, and despite its strong female character, it is not feminist. Abby sacrifices her hopes and dreams in order to serve her family, and she finally sees her dreams realized in her children and grandchildren, although they don't appreciate her fully until she is gone. Thus, it is not a fluffy, emotional story with a happily-ever-after ending, but a well-written epitaph for a remarkable and memorable woman who shows by her life, rather than by preaching, how to be a godly wife and mother. This is a book for giving to mothers, sisters and special friends, who will thank you and say, "It was one of the best books I ever read."
