So Big

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death and gender discrimination. 

On her arrival in High Prairie, Selina immediately notes the clothing of the people. For all their strange ways, Klaas and Maartje Pool are welcoming. Their repaired, worn clothing seems starkly different from the styles Selina saw in Chicago. The difference in clothing is a reminder to Selina that she is in a very different place. The contrast in clothing is, in a metaphorical sense, a contrast between urban and rural environments. It also symbolizes the invisible labor that constrains women’s lives in this rural environment: Selina observes that most of the clothes seem to be either handmade or repeatedly repaired at home. The women of High Prairie, she realizes, are responsible for clothing their entire families, and they rarely receive credit for this. Clothing is just another example of the invisible, thankless work of women that is taken for granted by the local men. As well as the poorer clothing, however, Selina is also shown Maartje’s bridal gown. The gown is striking, but also homemade. Like the regular clothing, it has been repaired and adjusted many times over the years. Various women of various sizes have worn this dress at various times, yet the dress symbolically unites them across generations. In this bridal gown, Selina gets a glimpse of the tradition and emotion that are central to High Prairie culture. While she may be confused and perturbed by her new rural environment, the bridal gown reminds her of the fundamental humanity of her new hosts.

Dirk grows up in High Prairie. Selina may have been surprised at the repaired, poor clothing of the farming community, but she is not shocked that her son is raised in similar conditions. As the son of a farmer like Pervus, Dirk is raised (initially) to be just like everyone else in High Prairie, right down to the clothes he wears. As he grows older, however, his clothing changes. His change in clothing reflects a change in his material conditions. After the death of his father and the reunion between Selina and Julie, the farm becomes much more profitable. One of Julie’s first promises to her old friend is that her son will receive an entirely new wardrobe. Selina may not accept this offer directly but—through the help of Julie’s father—Dirk’s clothing improves to reflect his mother’s ambitions. She wants him to pursue his ambitions in a way that she could not, and this entails dressing for a different kind of society. Dirk moves to Chicago, but he is still poor in comparison to the wealthy society he aspires to join. He envies the expensive clothing of those around him, especially those from Peel, the English tailor on Michigan Boulevard. So strong is Dirk’s envy and ambition that he measures his success through his clothing. When he can afford to do so, he ensures that he has an entire expensive wardrobe at his disposal. His choice of clothing symbolizes his desire to move into high society and abandon his rural roots.

When he visits Dallas O’Mara’s studio, Dirk is struck by the visible contrast between the refined Paula (whom he has supposedly loved for many years) and the disheveled Dallas (with whom he has recently fallen in love). Paula wears very expensive clothes, which the narrator suggests do not suit her. The clothes have no real value beyond the social status they symbolize. Meanwhile, Dallas looks better—Dirk believes—while hardly thinking about her clothing. She is dressed in artist’s attire, still stained by the evidence of her work. The clothing creates a symbolic contrast between Paula and Dallas, representing the contrast between the high society’s elaborate performance of wealth and the honest life of a working artist. Selina had hoped that Dirk would see the value in the latter, but he has dedicated his life to the former. Looking at the women’s clothing, Dirk is made to recognize the ramifications of his decision. The world he coveted, filled with expensive trinkets, seems much less attractive to him than the world of the artist. When Dallas meets Selina and praises her clothing, Dirk can no longer ignore his regrets. The clothing is the starkest symbol of his remorse.