Class and Ambition

The characters' Scottish immigrant background and their striving for economic betterment—through farming, land speculation, and education—highlight themes of social mobility and the tension between tradition and progress.

John's intellectual ambition and plan to study law in Chicago contrast with the hardscrabble farming life, representing upward mobility.

Wully's choice to leave farming for the lumber business reflects a shift in ambition, spurred by the promise of railroad commerce and the desire to provide a safer, easier life for his family.

Wully's pride in his prosperity and his desire to show off his wife's new coat reflect his rising social standing.