When we watch romance movies or read romance books, we don't get to see the "after the wedding" scene. This episode shows that the honeymoon really does end and the real facts about marriage occur.
The episode starts out with Almanzo working like a mule and is happy to hear his dinner's almost over. Laura is so involved with her school work that she doesn't even hardly pay attention to her husband (she is only 17 after all...). She neglected her husband by not hardly speaking to him, not doing laundry, and not paying proper attention to supper. All of this is overlooked by Almanzo. As he sits at the table waiting for his supper to finish, he decides to sing a song to Laura. Laura protests and says she has to get her school work finished.
If we take into account the time this is (late 1800's), we can see that this is the reason married women were not allowed to teach. It's true that Alice did it successfully, and we never saw fighting over it. But Laura and Almanzo is just starting out and they are building their life together. Laura needs to stop being so selfish and remember that women are expected to take care of their husbands by keeping house. I'm not being biased, that's just the way things were! So when she tells Almanzo that he'd have to play his guitar outside, I am completely in agreement that Almanzo had every right to get mad. This is the time Laura puts away her books and pays attention to her husband - the man she had wanted to marry for two years!
The funniest part is Charles' great idea of putting in a picture window. He tries three times unsuccessfully. This gives comic relief for an otherwise pretty tense situation.
In the end, Almanzo and Laura make up, and we can only imagine what happens after Caroline and Charles leave. They ARE newlyweds, after all!
The episode starts out with Almanzo working like a mule and is happy to hear his dinner's almost over. Laura is so involved with her school work that she doesn't even hardly pay attention to her husband (she is only 17 after all...). She neglected her husband by not hardly speaking to him, not doing laundry, and not paying proper attention to supper. All of this is overlooked by Almanzo. As he sits at the table waiting for his supper to finish, he decides to sing a song to Laura. Laura protests and says she has to get her school work finished.
If we take into account the time this is (late 1800's), we can see that this is the reason married women were not allowed to teach. It's true that Alice did it successfully, and we never saw fighting over it. But Laura and Almanzo is just starting out and they are building their life together. Laura needs to stop being so selfish and remember that women are expected to take care of their husbands by keeping house. I'm not being biased, that's just the way things were! So when she tells Almanzo that he'd have to play his guitar outside, I am completely in agreement that Almanzo had every right to get mad. This is the time Laura puts away her books and pays attention to her husband - the man she had wanted to marry for two years!
The funniest part is Charles' great idea of putting in a picture window. He tries three times unsuccessfully. This gives comic relief for an otherwise pretty tense situation.
In the end, Almanzo and Laura make up, and we can only imagine what happens after Caroline and Charles leave. They ARE newlyweds, after all!