Giants on the Earth by Ole Edvart Rølvaag I think this book is a very interesting story. I've never read a western before, much less one about foreigners. To begin with, I thought Per Hansa was a man of action and a natural pioneer. Throughout history he has shown optimism and great courage in the face of difficulties. To me he seems very intelligent, strong and a natural leader in his community and throughout the story he seemed to succeed in almost everything he did. When it comes to his wife Beret, the story is different; unlike her husband, she cannot bear life on the prairie. He longs to return to the comforts of his home in Norway. However, I feel like she doesn't blame him for convincing her to immigrate. It seems to me that throughout the story she constantly fears the unknown and lurking threats of the wilderness. I thought it was very interesting that Per and Beret were not initially identified by name. They were simply called "the man" and "the woman". I'm not sure why, but my opinion is that this may have been done to try to tell what it was like for all the immigrants coming to America at the time. I can't imagine being as lost in the wilderness as the rest of the group were as the Hansa were. I don't understand how he managed to walk for kilometers in the desert to find the tracks of the other wagons without getting lost, much less finding his way back. I could really tell how much Beret didn't like it when they got together with the rest of their friends. Her reaction was very different from that of her husband. Per compares the grasslands to the fertile land of Egypt, while Beret is unimpressed by the land. In fact, she's shocked by how immense and desolate the place appears. When Per meets the Indians, I see once again that he is the only one in the story who manages to stay calm and not panic. I thought it was very interesting that by showing an act of kindness by healing the Indian's injured hand, he received a pony as payment. I also notice that as the story progresses, Per's wife becomes more and more unstable. The cap makes people around her uncomfortable because of her bad mood. It's starting to become clear to me that he's suffering from more than just homesickness.