# Selina DeJong — So Big character guide > Selina DeJong in So Big by Edna Ferber. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Selina, Selina Peake, Miss Peake, Miss Selina Peake **First appearance:** 0000-i ## Snapshot A gambler's daughter turned High Prairie farm wife, she reads Byron between chores and refuses to let the soil decide what her son may become. ## Who they are Raised in hotel lobbies and boardinghouse parlors by a charming, itinerant gambler, Selina arrives in High Prairie as a schoolteacher with more imagination than practical sense. Marriage to a stoic Dutch farmer and years of grubbing vegetables out of stubborn earth sharpen rather than dim her — she borrows money, learns the commission markets, and builds DeJong asparagus into a name the merchants seek a year ahead. Her fierce, unappeasable hope for her son Dirk is the engine of the book: she wants him bigger than the prairie, and the novel keeps asking what that wanting costs. ## Relationships ### [Dirk DeJong](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/characters/dirk_dejong) _family_ Mother and son with a deep, often strained bond as Selina's ambitions for Dirk clash with his own desires. ### [Roelf Pool](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/characters/roelf_pool) _friendship_ A close, supportive friendship rooted in mutual respect and artistic sensibility, with Roelf often serving as Selina's confidant. ### [Pervus DeJong](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/characters/pervus_dejong) _family_ Husband and wife in a quiet, dutiful marriage marked by Pervus's steady but unambitious nature contrasting Selina's drive. ### [Maartje Pool](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/characters/maartje_pool) _friendship_ A warm, neighborly friendship built on shared struggles and mutual support in the farming community. ### [Julie Hempel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/characters/julie_hempel) _friendship_ A complex friendship between two strong-willed women, blending admiration with subtle rivalry over social status. ### [August Hempel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/characters/august_hempel) _social_ A respectful acquaintance tinged with August's admiration for Selina's resilience and business acumen. ### [Jan Snip](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/characters/jan_snip) _professional_ A business partnership where Jan, as a fellow farmer and trader, respects Selina's shrewdness and work ethic. ### [Simeon Peake](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/characters/simeon_peake) _professional_ A mentor-student relationship where Simeon, as a teacher, recognizes and nurtures Selina's intellectual potential. ### [Pauline](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/characters/pauline) _rivalry_ A tense, antagonistic relationship as Pauline views Selina as a rival for Dirk's affection and approval. ### [Dirk DeJong](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/characters/dirk_dejong) _family_ Mother and son with a deep, often strained bond as Selina's ambitions for Dirk clash with his own desires. ### [Pervus DeJong](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/characters/pervus_dejong) _family_ Husband and wife in a quiet, dutiful marriage marked by Pervus's steady but unambitious nature contrasting Selina's drive. ### [Roelf Pool](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/characters/roelf_pool) _friendship_ A close, supportive friendship rooted in mutual respect and artistic sensibility, with Roelf often serving as Selina's confidant. ## In the story ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/chapters/i) Selina Peake, the protagonist, is visiting her friend Julie and later discovers her father's death. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/chapters/ii) Arrives at High Prairie to teach, full of adventurous spirit despite recent tragedy. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/chapters/iii) Arrives at the Pool farm, explores the house, and feels a mix of curiosity and homesickness. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/chapters/iv) Endures the freezing mornings, refuses to dress behind the stove, draws a demon face on the drum, teaches at the schoolhouse, reads to Roelf, makes a disappointing trip to Chicago, and returns to the farm. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/chapters/v) Attends church and the box social; bids on and wins Pervus DeJong's basket; offers to teach him arithmetic and reading. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/chapters/vi) Teaches Pervus and Roelf; struggles with emerging romantic and physical feelings for Pervus; experiences emotional distress during his absence. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/chapters/vii) Marries Pervus DeJong and moves to his farm, experiencing fear and ambivalence about her new life. ### [Chapter VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/chapters/viii) Learns farm life, manages household, uses savings for improvements, becomes pregnant, and supports Roelf's departure. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/chapters/ix) Nearing thirty, Selina is worn by farm work but still fights for Dirk's education and pushes for modern farming methods against Pervus's resistance. ### [Selina Takes the Reins](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/chapters/x) Newly widowed, Selina takes over the farm work and decides to drive to market herself, showing determination and resilience. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/chapters/xi) Endures a catastrophic market day, sleeps in her wagon, and attempts to sell vegetables door-to-door on Prairie Avenue. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/chapters/xii) Passionately argues for beauty and self-sacrifice; insists on working the farm herself to give Dirk a beautiful life. ### [Chapter XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/chapters/xiii) Manages the farm with hired help, guides Dirk's education subtly, learns of Roelf's success, invites Mattie to the farm, discusses Dirk's university plans. ### [Chapter XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/chapters/xiv) Selina reflects on Pervus's absence, supports Dirk's architectural ambitions, and feels both pride and worry as Dirk becomes involved with the wealthy Arnold family. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/chapters/xv) Encourages Dirk to visit Paula, furnishes his room with secondhand treasures, and explores Chicago with a sense of wonder. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/chapters/xvi) Selina is now a middle-aged woman living simply on the farm, with weather-beaten skin and few personal belongings. She confronts Dirk about his lifestyle and his abandonment of architecture. ### [Chapter XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/chapters/xvii) Now a famous farmer, she enjoys city adventures and criticizes Dirk's narrow life. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/chapters/xix) Offends Dirk with her down-to-earth views on fox hunting and society; later, upon hearing of Roelf Pool's return, she sits with old mementos from her past. ### [Chapter XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/chapters/xx) Working in the fields when the group arrives; she is overjoyed to see Roelf Pool and embraces him. ### [Chapter XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/chapters/xxi) Hosts tea, radiant and beautiful; shares a profound moment with Roelf; has her hand kissed for the first time. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/characters/selina_dejong - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/so_big_se/characters