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
Rosicky heads to the general store to pick groceries off a list from Mary. He waits around until Miss Pearl, a pretty girl who works there, comes to help—he always likes to talk to her. She has plucked, painted-on eyebrows, which amuses Rosicky because her eyebrows used to be long. Pearl knows that Rosicky has a harmless crush on her, and she likes to chat with him anyway. She comments that he’s always buying ticking (a fabric that covers pillows and mattresses), and Rosicky tells her it’s for all the loose goose feathers in his home—Mary loves to make pillows. Pearl playfully teases him when he buys candy for Mary, saying that the treats will make her fat. But Rosicky responds good-naturedly, saying that he likes his wife plump, not skinny like is currently fashionable for women.
Rosicky likes to savor life rather than rush through it, which is another quality that contributes to his happy, likeable demeanor. He could treat grocery shopping as a mundane chore, but instead he chooses to take his time and enjoy the simple pleasure of chatting with Miss Pearl. Pearl’s comment about Rosicky’s spending habits shows again how Rosicky stands apart from others: he feels no need to hoard his limited funds and is instead eager to spend his money on his wife. Additionally, Miss Pearl’s youth contrasts with Rosicky’s age here, as he makes a pointed and playful comment about trends for young women like Pearl. While she keeps herself skinny and plucks her eyebrows—as is in fashion—Rosicky knows that these are just trends, hand e’s resistant to the more superficial fads of youth. He would rather his wife be well-fed, comfortable, and provided for than fit in with the current style.
Themes
Rosicky gets to his wagon just as it’s beginning to snow. He drives out of town and into the High Prairie—a big stretch of rich farmland. Rosicky’s own farm is on less productive land (there’s clay in the soil that can damage the crop), farther off from the High Prairie. But he doesn’t mind; he was grateful to buy affordable land when he could, and to be able to pass the land down to his sons. He rides to the graveyard that neighbors his farm. Pausing at the graveyard as snow falls, he is struck by how beautiful the land is.
Yet again, Rosicky is grateful for what others may label as misfortune. While his farm is less productive and profitable than the High Prairie farmland, Rosicky sees its weaknesses as gifts. If the land were more fertile, he would otherwise not have been able to buy the land in the first place, nor would he be able to pass it down to his sons. In this way, creating a meaningful family legacy is more important to Rosicky than having an easy, affluent lifestyle. He also sees the graveyard as beautiful rather than frightening, which is perhaps surprising given his recent diagnosis of heart failure.
Themes
As Rosicky contentedly looks at the graveyard surrounding him, he feels happy with his life. Looking over at the roof of his own house, he decides to take Doctor Burleigh’s advice after all—he will work less to take care of his heart. He isn’t ready to die yet, but it comforts him to know that the graveyard is so close to the home he loves. Many neighbors and friends have died and now rest in this same graveyard, and Rosicky knows that there is nothing embarrassing or awkward about death—not when it is in such a beautiful place and so close to his family. He admires the falling snow, which it offers rest and leisure for “men and beasts” whose work must pause during the winter.
Although Rosicky feels inspired to look after his health, seeing the graveyard doesn’t seem to make him anxious. In fact, the prospect of death brings a certain comfort to him, since he realizes that he will be safe and close to home when he does eventually die. Therefore, his desire to take care of his health comes not out of a fear of death, but rather his love of life. Rosicky also sees the snow as a symbol of the need for rest rather than a foreboding sign of a difficult winter. In this way, he feels an interconnectedness to the changing seasons. Instead of being concerned about the hardships that winter can bring for farmers, Rosicky appreciates nature’s rhythm, which binds animals, humans, and the earth itself together. For Rosicky, nature is more valuable than anything that is man-made—although this is a value that puts him in direct opposition to the increasingly industrialized times he is living in.
Themes
Arriving home, Rosicky is warmly greeted by his son, John, who puts away his horses, and his wife, Mary, who has made him lunch. Rosicky considers eating in town too extravagant, so Mary always has food ready for him when he comes home. Presently, Rosicky tries to talk to Mary in their native language, Czech, but Mary responds in English to ask about his appointment with Doctor Burleigh. Rosicky playfully dodges the topic, but after some prodding, he admits that Burleigh warned him to watch his heart. Mary is alarmed, but Rosicky tells her to quiet down, reminding her that he prefers for women to speak softly. Despite her concern, Mary admires Rosicky’s ever-present calm demeanor. She attributes this trait to his city upbringing and hopes their sons to take after him.
Rosicky’s entire family takes care of him without asking, showing once more how loving and supportive they are. Mary’s choice to speak to Rosicky about his doctor’s visit in English rather than Czech shows the severity of the question, as discussing Rosicky’s health seems to merit more formality. Even though the concerning news could erupt into an argument, Rosicky’s patient, level-headed demeanor persists in a way that both impresses and soothes Mary. Even Rosicky’s comment about wanting women to speak quietly, which could be read as sexist, seems to be a way of keeping Mary calm and happy rather than a way of putting her down.
Themes
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Mary thinks that Rosicky looks healthy, but she does trust Burleigh’s judgment. She decides that she will go into town to talk to him about his diagnosis of Rosicky’s heart. She tries to see signs of declining health in her husband but struggles to do so. While he is 15 years her senior, she rarely notices this. Their lives as poor Czech immigrants in America have been difficult and required sacrifice, but the two of them have ultimately been happy because they are unified in their beliefs and values. Mary thinks fondly of the differences in their upbringings: he has been “city-bred,” while she has only lived in the country. She believes that just as rural living has made her rough, urban living has made Rosicky endlessly gentle.
Even though Rosicky has been diagnosed with a failing heart, nothing about his outside appearance would indicate as much. His literal heart may be weakened, but his emotional heart—his love, kindness, and generosity—is still strong, so much so that Rosicky being sick seems almost inconceivable to Mary. Mary, like Rosicky, sees their lives as happy and fulfilling. While immigrating to the U.S., managing a farm, and earning little money are all challenges, the couple has been happy throughout all of this because their worldviews are compatible, and they support each other. Mary’s thinking also highlights a key difference between city and country living: she believes that the countryside has made her tougher, while the city made Rosicky more compassionate.
Themes
Mary thinks that she and Rosicky have been happy because they have not prioritized making and saving money over enjoying life. Once, a creamery agent tried to convince them to sell their cream instead of keeping it for their own children. The agent tried to persuade them by mentioning the neighboring Fassler family, who made a successful profit from selling their cream. But Mary rejected his offer, knowing that the Fassler children looked pale and unhealthy, not robust like her own children. She told the agent that she would rather “put some colour into [her] children’s faces” than save up money, and Rosicky sided with his wife.
The creamery agent and the Fasslers represent a fundamentally different value system than the Rosickys’. Rather than selling resources like cream for profit, Rosicky and Mary would rather use what they have to take care of their own children and create a healthy home environment. This is another way that the Rosickys set themselves apart from the American Dream that’s centered on industriousness and upward mobility (increased wealth and social status). Moreover, the incident with the creamery agent illustrates Mary and Anton’s close partnership: they respect each other and make decisions as a team.
Themes
