Driven Back to Eden · Chapters

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Chapter companions for Driven Back to Eden by Edward Payson Roe.

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Chapter 1
Dedication
The author dedicates the book to someone affectionately called 'Johnnie.'
Chapter 2
Driven Back to Eden
The family, having decided to leave the city for a healthier life, moves to a farm in Maizeville. They face the challenges of winter arrival, settling into an old farmhouse, and beginning their agricultural life with the help of neighbors like John Jones. The chapter details their initial steps in farming, including building a chicken coop, making maple sugar, pruning trees, and starting a garden, all while learning self-reliance and the value of hard work.
Chapter 3
A Problem
The narrator reflects on the challenges of raising children in a cramped New York City flat. His wife is growing thin and irritable, Bobsey is wild and hard to manage, Merton is sullen and smoking cigarettes, and Winnie is exposed to inappropriate material. The family's living conditions are inadequate, and the narrator realizes he must find a solution to give his children a better environment.
Chapter 4
II: I State the Case
Robert Durham, troubled by the corrupting influences of city life on his children, shares with his wife Winifred his growing conviction that the family must move to the country. He argues that farming, though unfamiliar, would provide healthier surroundings, meaningful work for the children, and a more secure future.
Chapter 5
New Prospects
The family decides to move to the country after much discussion, believing it will be best for the children's moral and physical well-being. Bobsey provides a divine justification, and each child expresses hopes for the new life: Merton wants adventure, Mousie a garden, Winnie chickens and freedom, and Bobsey a pig. The narrator begins planning the move, seeking a suitable location.

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Dedication

Driven Back to Eden

A Problem

II: I State the Case

New Prospects