preview

Almelund Analysis

Better Essays

Post-war Years in Almelund When John returned home after serving in the military, his parents, adhering to temporal and ethnic traditions, moved off the farm and left its operation to their eldest son. Subsequent to reluctantly accepting the responsibility of working the land, John sought out opportunities to enhance his life, both vocationally and socially, beyond the confines of the farm. Fortunately, John’s younger brother, Oscar, a single adult, remained behind to ably assist with the work, which of course permitted John flexibility in choice of activities. In the winter, when the workload on the farm slackened, John hired out his services to the owner of a saw mill. Occasionally, he cut down trees to supply the mill and at other times he worked in the mill. In preparation for another vocational venture, John attended school in Austin, Minnesota for training to run a steam engine and threshing machine. Even with his limited formal education, John excelled in his mathematical studies. After his training and throughout most of the 1920s, John ran a threshing rig and supervised a threshing crew …show more content…

Parents, including John and Ruth, brought their children to the store to sit on Santa’s lap and reveal their deepest wishes for their most desired toys. The Blomquist’s toddler, Marvy, awestruck and bug-eyed by his first sight of the jolly red elf, froze in his tracks, pointed at the astounding vision, and verbalized his amazement by loudly repeating the word Jesus over and over again. Even though he amused numerous townsfolk and farm families who overheard his mistaken identification of the celebrity, at least he revealed that he came from a good Christian home. In an attempt to console and quiet her son, Ruth picked him up to no avail. Subsequently, she passed him to John, to whom the toddler clung to for security and finally settled

Get Access