Sarah, Plain and Tall

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What motivated white Americans to move West and settle on the plains in the mid and late 19th century? What challenges did they face, either during the long, arduous journey or as homesteaders?

Teaching Suggestion: While students might have encountered media associating American westward expansion with abstract ideals of independence, perseverance, and hope for the future, they’re likely to know less about the concrete factors that drove migration. With its depiction of mail-order brides, the novel offers a window into one such factor, but you can use the resources below to encourage students to think more about the practical realities of resettlement, especially as they interacted with experiences of gender or class. Discussion of this topic can help orient students with regard to the historical and geographical context of the novel, while photographs and other primary sources can give students a visual touchstone as to the setting’s historical significance.

• This document contains photographs and excerpts from letters, documents, and other memorabilia that illuminate some of the factors that drew settlers westward.