So Big
What is So Big about?
So Big (1924) is Edna Ferber’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about Selina Peake DeJong, a young woman who becomes a truck farmer in the Dutch community outside Chicago after her father’s death. Despite poverty and hardship, Selina finds beauty in the land and raises her son Dirk ("So Big") to appreciate the beauty in life. But Dirk, seduced by easy money in 1920s Chicago, chooses material success over artistic fulfillment. The novel contrasts Selina’s passionate authenticity with her son’s hollow prosperity, exploring themes of work, beauty, and the corrupting lure of wealth in Jazz Age America.
Main themes in So Big
Pulitzer Prize fiction
In So Big, pulitzer prize fiction provides a lens for understanding the story's core message.
Jazz Age America
So Big thoughtfully explores jazz age america through its central conflicts.
Farm life
So Big thoughtfully explores farm life through its central conflicts.
Materialism vs authenticity
So Big thoughtfully explores materialism vs authenticity through its central conflicts.
Why So Big is still relevant today
So Big won the 1925 Pulitzer Prize and established Ferber as a major American novelist. Its themes of authenticity versus materialism and the value of meaningful work remain compelling.
More by this author
Frequently Asked Questions
What is So Big about?
A woman finds beauty in hard farm life outside Chicago, but her son chooses material success over artistic fulfillment in Jazz Age America.
Did it win the Pulitzer?
Yes, So Big won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1925.
Why is it called So Big?
It is the nickname of Selina’s son Dirk, given as a baby when he reached for the sky. The title captures the gap between childhood promise and adult choices.
Can I read it free online?
Yes, the complete novel is available free on TextStack.