Definitely an iconic image of rural life, but critics interpreted it in various ways. According to Wikipedia: “Iowans were furious at their depiction as “pinched, grim-faced, puritanical Bible-thumpers.”[18] Wood protested that he had not painted a caricature of Iowans but a depiction of his appreciation, stating “I had to go to France to appreciate Iowa.” Some thought it was meant to be a satire of rural small-town life or an old-fashioned mourning portrait. But the opinion that came to last was that it should be seen as a depiction of steadfast American pioneer spirit.