Browse all of the Salem on Literature series

The Folks (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)

At a glance:

Characters Discussed

Fred Ferguson, a bank employee in Belmond, Iowa. Born and reared on a nearby farm, he has worked hard for what he has: a pleasant home, a good job, and the respect of his church and his community. Fred does not see that society is changing. If he is one of the last of his social class to hire domestic help, upgrade his house, or buy a car, it is not that he is consciously resisting the lure of materialism but simply that he likes things as they are, especially when the old ways save him money. Only late in life, when he returns from his first long trip away...

[The entire page is 1042 words long]

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:

Lookup any word on eNotes with our dictionary. Highlight the word and press SHIFT + D for a definition, or SHIFT + T for a synonym.