Pioneers of the American West (From the TV series ‘Little House on the Prairie’)

Have you ever watched the show "Little House on the Prairie"? This show gives us a chance to look at the life of early Americans who settled down in the America and started to adapt to life in there. One of our members want to share her thoughts on this show and the life of early Americans. Let us know what you think through the comments.

Pioneers of the American West

(From the TV series ‘Little House on the Prairie’)

Jungwon Lee

Pusan National University

Dept. of Global Studies

Charles Ingalls spends his time mostly on the farm, plowing and carpentering because he has to make a living for his big family. Caroline Ingalls takes control in housework, like cooking for workers outside, making clothes, and nurturing children. A little girl, Laura and her siblings always go to school, and they learn from one teacher, because the school is small sized. Also, on Sundays, every family meets together in town church and hold meetings.

The ‘Little House on the Prairie’ is a media franchise that started with a series of children’s books by Laura Ingalls Wilder that were originally published between 1932 and 1943. The book has nine series, ‘Little house in the big woods’, ‘Little house on the prairie’, ‘On the banks of plum creek’, ‘By the shores of silver lake’, ‘The long winter’, ‘Little town on the prairie’, ‘These happy golden years’, and ‘The first four years’. The Author, Laura Ingalls Wilder put her real story as a pioneer’s daughter in this book series. It is based on many-decade-old memories of her childhood in the Midwest region of the United States during the late 19^th century. Although this book series were considered classics of American children’s literature, it was loved by numerous people around the world and grew to include television and stage adaptations. The book series and the dramas’ contents differ a little, but if you watch this television show, you can see the lives of pioneers living in the little town called ‘Walnut Grove’ closely.

Whenever we think of Pioneers of America, we think of horse operas, imagining cowboys with cowboy hats and riding horses with lightning speed. People think pioneers lived their lives splendidly, but that’s just looking at the surface of it. In fact, pioneers’ lives were hard and toilsome because they were settlers who were new to the American land. After moving to America from Europe, they started their lives on barren land. They tried to adapt to the new environment they were living in, and they planted crops and raised livestock. Although their lives were hard because they sometimes had tensions with native Americans, had to endure cold blizzard, fought grasshopper attacks in summer, these pioneers lived with their families with love. Also, they had faith that they can make their lives better by working diligently.

To pioneer families, being friendly with their neighbors was big help because they didn’t get lonely and could get advice from each other on how to make living well. If you didn’t have a chance to watch this television series, don’t hesitate watching it! You will feel happiness, and warmth of many pioneer families.