NUISANCES, NECESSARY AND OTHERWISE

Chapter VI of “Just David” entitled “Nuisances, Necessary and Otherwise” revolves around David’s adaptation to the rigid, structured life at the Hollies’ farmhouse. It begins with David, a boy accustomed to the freedom and beauty of nature, offering to help Mrs. Holly with the dishes, a proposition she initially refuses due to his dirty hands. This encounter prompts David to question the value of housework, which Mrs. Holly defends as essential labor, unlike David’s father, who deemed such chores unnecessary nuisances.

As the day progresses, David’s curiosity and desire for the outdoors clash with Mrs. Holly’s obligations and her confined life of chores and dusting, particularly in the rarely used, over-decorated parlor filled with objects of little practical use but great sentimental value to Mrs. Holly. David, confused by the value placed on these objects, suggests they might as well be disposed of to free up time for more enjoyable activities like walking in nature.

Throughout the chapter, David’s perspective continually challenges the Holly’s lifestyle, filled with what he views as unnecessary burdens that detract from the real beauty found in nature and music, which he deeply misses. The chapter concludes with an interaction between the Holly household and a French woman and her son, lost and unable to communicate. David, understanding and speaking French, becomes a bridge between the two parties, arranging for their transportation to the home of the woman’s relatives. Simeon Holly appears disapproving of David’s unexpected ability, while Mrs. Holly and Perry Larson are bewildered but grateful. This incident underscores David’s uniqueness and the depth of his experiences, contrasting sharply with the life and expectations at the Holly farm.

David’s innocence, curiosity, and connection to the beauty around him question the established norms of the Holly household, introducing a note of disruption but also of potential transformation, as seen through the reactions of Mrs. Holly to David’s music and the family’s response to the situation with the French family.