Under the Lion's Paw

The detailed description that Garland gives in the beginning of the story “Under the Lion’s Paws” really gave me an eerie image of a farmer plowing his fields in the falling snow. Yet, what farmer plows his fields in the snow? Such description seems to tell me that the farmer is in denial about his struggle against the opposing environment. “Through the falling snow, which melted as it fell, wetting them to the skin-all day, notwithstanding the frequent squalls of snow, the dripping, desolate clouds and the muck of the furrow, black and tenacious as tar” (Pg. 676). This first paragraph sets the mood for the entire story by explaining a farmer’s continuous struggle against the elements.

In my history class we just began discussing the lives of farmers and their struggle for survival and how nature was against them when it came to farming such as: winter, prairie fires, grasshoppers, pests, rats, etc. Also, we learned that farmers sometimes invested in what was known as share cropping which was when farmers rented a small portion of land and would share the profit with the owner. Unfortunately, the farmer that would rent the land actually would owe more than he earned. In a way this situation reminded me of Mr. Butler’s character because he changes the asking price for the farm which is more than double what Mr. Butler was willing to accept just three years ago. This crushes Mr. Haskins when he learns of the news because cannot afford the new asking price.