'All's Well That Ends Well' as a Frontier Creed

This thematic flow follows Pa's repeated phrase through the story, testing and finally straining the family's habit of optimism.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

Said After the Flooded Creek

Said After the Flooded Creek Scene After the wagon almost drowns, Pa tells Ma that all is well that ends well. He is wet and tired, but the family is alive. Meaning The phrase becomes a way of absorbing disaster. It turns luck into a principle and grief into acceptance. Aftermath The family camps safely, and even the loss of Jack is softened by his later return.

Said When the Wolves Pass

Said When the Wolves Pass Scene Pa and Ma talk about the fifty wolves that walked beside Patty, and Pa ends with all's well that ends well. He has survived without a gun. Meaning The phrase smooths over a near-death experience. Pa's optimism is a comfort to Ma and the girls. Aftermath The family goes to bed, but the wolf howls remind them that the creed cannot control the dark.

Said When the Furs Are Saved

Said When the Furs Are Saved Scene Two Indians take Pa's bundle of furs, then put it down and leave. Pa comes home, hears the story, and says all's well that ends well. Meaning The phrase is tested in a moment of theft and fear. Pa chooses gratitude that the furs were spared rather than anger at the violation. Aftermath He says soon all the Indians will move west, returning the family's focus to the future.

Said After the Prairie Fire

Said After the Prairie Fire Scene Ma returns to the house black with smoke and tells the girls that Pa's little fire saved them, and all's well that ends well. Her hands tremble as she says it. Meaning The creed has become Ma's too, a way to feel safe after terror. But the trembling reveals the cost of every escape. Aftermath The family sleeps under a roof that still stands, and the black prairie begins to recover.

Challenged by the Government Order

Challenged by the Government Order Scene After Pa announces the family must leave, Ma says softly, 'A year gone.' Pa answers with a smile that they have all the time in the world, a version of the old creed. Meaning The phrase is stretched to the breaking point. It cannot make the loss unhappen, but it can point the family toward the next beginning. Aftermath The wagon departs, and Laura's excitement carries the creed into an unknowable future.

at the camp on the far side of the creek

after the wolf pack escorts Pa home

after the Indians drop the bundle of furs

when Ma washes the smoke from her face

on the last evening in the little house