The narrator describes his father as content with his lot as a farmhand for the first 34 years of his life. He would work, have a beer at the local saloon, come home, and feel content. He was

quite happy in his position in life. He had at that time no notion of trying to rise in the world.

After his marriage, however, he and his wife become ambitious—and we are led to believe it is his primarily due to his wife and the subsequent birth of his son. The couple decide first to run a chicken farm and,...

(The entire section contains 287 words.)