ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the reciprocal relationship between Laura Ingalls Wilder's tomboyism and the natural and cultural landscape of the Northern Midwest by drawing from Little House on the Prairie and Little Town on the Prairie, the second and seventh books of Wilder's Little House series. Wilder's nostalgic description of her solitary walk to school likewise associates tomboyism with a high level of independence, particularly from adult authority figures. Laura has more freedom, as well as more of a need, perhaps, to develop tomboy traits on the prairie that might have been sublimated or repressed in other environments. Reflecting the close ties between Laura's gender subversion and her physical environment, the term tomboy is first introduced in the Little House series in association with Laura's love for outdoor activities. Ironically, Wilder's retraction of the tomboy label simply calls more attention to Laura's subversion of gender norms.
