Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Neighbour Rosicky, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Good Life
The City vs. The Country
Family, Community, and Kindness
Money vs. Happiness
Summary
Analysis
During a check-up, Doctor Ed Burleigh tells Anton Rosicky that he has a bad heart. But Rosicky insists that he’s fine—maybe it’s asthma, but he certainly doesn’t have any heart problems. Burleigh jokes that if Rosicky knows so much about medicine, why bother seeing a doctor? And he insists that Rosicky, who is 65, do less heavy labor on his land and instead delegate the work to his five sons.
Rosicky reacts to Burleigh’s diagnosis with dismay rather than concern, indicating that he’s not prone to anxiety. The fact that Burleigh advises Rosicky to avoid doing manual labor on his land to protect his heart implies that Rosicky’s lifestyle (presumably as a farmer) is what caused or exacerbated his heart condition. In this way, the story immediately ties the diagnosis to Rosicky’s hard work. For the first time, the weight of Rosicky’s years is coming down on him, affecting him physically.
Themes
Seeming a little amused, Rosicky looks up at Burleigh. He doesn’t appear sick: his cheeks have good color, his skin isn’t very wrinkled, and his hair is barely grey. Rosicky’s face reveals his disposition, which is “contented” and “reflective,” happy rather than somber. When Rosicky jokes that he’d like to get a new heart, Burleigh frowns and tells him to take care of the old one—Rosicky must cut back on his work on the farm.
Despite the fact that Rosicky is well into middle age and his health is comprised, he looks relatively youthful and healthy. While his body is feeling the affects of age and years of hard labor, his inner contentedness and kindness seem to radiate outward. Rosicky even jokes about his heart—he is unwilling to cause a fuss and would rather make light of the situation and maintain a good attitude, despite Burleigh’s concern. This begins to hint that Rosicky has uncovered the secret to a “contented” life and a positive attitude, and that this inner happiness is obvious everyone around him.
Themes
Burleigh thinks that Rosicky’s heart could last five or six more years if he takes care of it. To do so, Burleigh suggests that instead of working in the fields, Rosicky should spend more time around the house, helping his wife, Mary. But Rosicky laughs and dismisses the idea, insisting that the kitchen isn’t the place for a man and that Mary works hard enough not to need his help. Burleigh exclaims that Rosicky is one of the few people he knows who has a loving and happy family. They don’t fight and they’re kind to each other, so Burleigh wants Rosicky to live longer and enjoy the company of his wife and kids.
Rosicky dismisses Burleigh’s advice that he do more work around the house (rather than in the field) both because it contradicts his beliefs about gender roles and because this is not how he and Mary personally operate as a couple. On the one hand, Rosicky’s attitude reflects the strict gender roles that most people in the early 20th century abided by. Namely, domestic work was considered feminine, while work done outside the home (particularly manual labor) was considered masculine. On the other hand, Rosicky does appreciate how hard Mary works in the home and doesn’t seem to think that her role is any less important than his. In this way, Rosicky and his wife have a mutually respectful and deeply fulfilling relationship. Indeed, Burleigh’s praise for Rosicky’s wife and children indicate that the whole Rosicky family stands out in town. The Rosickys, according to Burleigh, are uniquely happy, loving, and kind.
Themes
As Burleigh writes Rosicky a prescription, he asks about Rosicky’s oldest son, Rudolph, who was recently married. Burleigh wonders how Mary likes Rudolph’s wife, Polly—he worries that Mary might not want “an American daughter-in-law,” given that Anton and Mary are Bohemian (Czech). But Rosicky, smiling with genuine affection, says that Polly is a nice girl. Since there’s going to be a storm, Burleigh encourages Rosicky to head home and urges him, due to his heart, to avoid the wagon. But Rosicky is using the wagon to return home. His five sons usually get the car instead of him, but he doesn’t mind because he dislikes cars.
Burleigh’s comment about Polly establishes what will become a bigger issue in the story: Polly’s differences from the Rosicky family and her dissatisfaction with country life. His comment also draws attention to Anton and Mary’s status as Czech-born immigrants who have come to the U.S. seeking a better life. But Rosicky’s resistance to driving a car shows that he’s resistant to certain American norms—he prioritizes a traditional, rural way of life over a modern, urban lifestyle. However, Rosicky’s choice to ride in a wagon could also endanger his health, presumably because the bumpy ride and physical exertion of holding the horse’s reins could strain his heart. Rosicky’s decision to continue doing what he prefers, even if it could harm him, brings up the question of what constitutes happiness and fulfillment—and whether or not it’s worth sacrificing one’s long-term well-being to continue living that good life.
Themes
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After Rosicky puts Burleigh’s fee on his desk and leaves, Burleigh thinks forlornly about Rosicky’s heart troubles, wishing that it were someone else—someone he does not love and care about as much as Rosicky. Burleigh has known the Rosickys since he was young, back when he was a lower-class country boy, and he has great affection for them.
Burleigh does not think of Rosicky as just another patient. He loves him as a friend, having grown up knowing him and seeing how remarkably kind and the Rosickys are. Burleigh’s love for Rosicky also seems tinged with empathy. Since he himself was a lower-class country boy before becoming a wealthier doctor, he has a personal connection to the rural, laborious life that the Rosicky’s live.
Themes
Last winter, Burleigh had a beautiful breakfast at the Rosickys’ home after a night spent delivering a baby at a neighboring family’s farm. That family, the Marshalls, are unpleasant. Despite having a very large, profitable farm, they are overworked, harried, and messy—their home has “no comfort whatever.” Once the baby was born, Burleigh refused breakfast and rushed out of the Marshall home as quickly as possible to go have breakfast with the Rosickys instead. He knew there was no other place where he could be welcomed so warmly and have coffee with such good cream.
The Marshalls are both wealthier and more stressed than the Rosickys, and these two qualities seem linked. The Marshalls overwork themselves for financial gain on their farm, and this ironically seems to cost them their happiness. Their family dynamic is so uncomfortable and unpleasant that Burleigh rushes out of their house, instead seeking comfort in the Rosickys’ warm and loving household. The good cream that the Rosickys have in their home is also indicative of their overall worldview as a family—rather than choosing to sell their cream, they hold onto it and offer it to their children and guests. In essence, they choose to nourish those closest to them and create a warm atmosphere instead of focusing on making money.
Themes
When Burleigh arrived at the Rosicky household, the well-mannered children helped him inside and set him an extra place at their humble table. Mary was delighted to have him for breakfast—feeding people is how she expresses affection, and she’d always been as proud of Burleigh as she would be of her own son. She was bursting with happiness just to have him there.
Every member of the Rosicky family takes after Anton. They are all exceedingly kind, loving, respectful people, in a way that makes the Rosickys stand out from other families in town. They even make Doctor Burleigh feel like an extended member of their family, and consequently, Burleigh’s sense of what makes a good family is almost entirely modeled after the Rosickys. Even though the Rosickys are not wealthy, their home feels abundant and welcoming because of their happiness and positive outlook on life.
Themes
Once Burleigh finished eating, he told everyone about the Marshalls. When Mary criticized them for letting Burleigh leave without breakfast, one of the Rosicky sons reminded her to be grateful for that, since Burleigh wouldn’t have eaten with them otherwise. Burleigh marveled that the geraniums in the window were blooming, even though it was winter, and Mary clipped a blossom for him. She told Burleigh that he needed a wife to prevent his hair from greying and explained that, in the meantime, brushing black tea into his hair would help.
The Marshalls are a foil for the Rosickys. While both families are in the same line of work, the latter family is significantly happier—so much so that Doctor Burleigh, an outsider to both households, will always choose to spend time with the Rosickys over the Marshalls. Mary’s geraniums blooming even in winter represent the Rosicky family spirit. Even when the Rosickys are in difficult circumstances, they’re able to create beauty and meaning simply by remaining optimistic, generous, and grateful for what they have. And Mary’s comment to Burleigh about his needing a wife shows that her loving nature extends beyond her own family—she will tend to Burleigh in the same way that she would any of her own sons.
Themes
Sometimes Doctor Burleigh hears townspeople gossip that the Rosickys don’t push themselves enough to earn more money. Despite being hard workers, the Rosickys are “free and easy”—they’re comfortable, and they don’t strive for more than they already have. But Burleigh thinks fondly of how warm and kind the family is, concluding that perhaps one cannot “enjoy your life and put it in the bank, too.”
Burleigh’s reflection that a person may not be able to “enjoy your life and put it in the bank, too” introduces one of the story’s key questions: is focusing on making and saving money antithetical to true happiness? The Rosickys are not a wealthy family, and they are not interested in advancing financially like their neighbors are. Still, the Rosickys are far happier and more enjoyable to be around, perhaps because they are so unconcerned with financial gain—they can actually enjoy life rather than worrying about getting ahead. The story’s portrayal of the Rosickys as a happy family, unhindered by financial stress, challenges the traditional “American Dream” that is centered around improving one’s social class. Instead, it seems that this quest to make more money, to rise through the ranks in society, actually makes people unhappy.
Themes
