ABSTRACT
The American pioneer has a playful spirit. In the collective mythology of the settling of the West, expansion has been cast and retold in colorful language with larger-than-life characters, colorful villains, and fantastic landscapes. This chapter explores how Laura Robinson's play reflects her development from childhood to adulthood as she navigates the social and gender roles prescribed to her. It examines the various forms of play throughout Laura Ingalls Wilder's series: the relationship between play and work which informs both Laura's negotiation of her femininity and her relationship with labor and domestic tasks. The chapter explores the physical tools of play, especially the dolls and doll figures through which she situates herself within gender roles and as a sociopolitical figure. Laura's emergent plays with words, which will ultimately help her, tell the story of her childhood on the frontier.
