There were many hardships that the Ingalls' family faced, in fact, the book is made up of them. We see them from everyone's point of view and how they approach it so differently.
The first hardship that the family faced was the process of moving. They loved very comfortably in their home at the beginning of the book, especially since it was the winter period in which they required heat. In the first chapter, we see Ma questioning if they all need to leave now, 'The weather was so cold and the snug house was so comfortable' which shows that they had the provisions needed to keep warm. pa even followed the sentence by saying that they won't be able to get across the river Mississippi if the ice breaks.
It's because they're seeking a much better lifestyle that they choose to move to an Indian land. This can be seen as an issue that the family had to face due to the fact that they're having to pack up their current life and start again elsewhere.
We can say that it is because of the father who wants a better lifestyle a reason for the move to be a type of hardship. We are able to see that he is a family man, he is someone who looks after his family and what he owns. But in order for him to continue to give them a better life, they needed to move.
In chapter 2, we are also able to say that Pa selling his fur could be argued as the hardship. This is due to the fact that he is selling his own belongings in order for his family to make the trip west. He also sleeps outside in the wagon during the night when they make camp so he is able to protect the horses, the wagon, and his family; his family was sleeping inside next to the fire he had built.
In regards to a social aspect, when moving to a different area which had been inhabited by people they were not familiar with, this could have proved to be challenging. We already see throughout the book the families individual views in regards to the Indians, so when interacting with them, that would have been challenging for them too. Some of the family happened to be kind towards them and others, not so much. By the end of chapter twenty-three, Ingalls Wilder states that Laura was afraid of the American Indians.
We are able to say that overall, the entire book is made up of an entire hardship that the family had to face. From moving into a different home, to having a fire - we are able to see how everyone handles the hardship differently.
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