Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls Copyright Notice ©2011 eNotes.com Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, Web distribution or information storage retrieval systems without the written permission of the publisher. ©1998-2002; ©2002 by Gale Cengage. Gale is a division of Cengage Learning. Gale and Gale Cengage are trademarks used herein under license. For complete copyright information on these eNotes please visit: http://www.enotes.com/red-fern/copyright eNotes: Table of Contents 1. Where the Red Fern Grows: Overview 2. Where the Red Fern Grows: About the Author 3. Where the Red Fern Grows: Chapter Summaries ♦ Chapter 1 Summary ♦ Chapter 2 Summary ♦ Chapter 3 Summary ♦ Chapter 4 Summary ♦ Chapter 5 Summary ♦ Chapter 6 Summary ♦ Chapter 7 Summary ♦ Chapter 8 Summary ♦ Chapter 9 Summary ♦ Chapter 10 Summary ♦ Chapter 11 Summary ♦ Chapter 12 Summary ♦ Chapter 13 Summary ♦ Chapter 14 Summary ♦ Chapter 15 Summary ♦ Chapter 16 Summary ♦ Chapter 17 Summary ♦ Chapter 18 Summary ♦ Chapter 19 Summary ♦ Chapter 20 Summary 4. Where the Red Fern Grows: Setting 5. Where the Red Fern Grows: Themes and Characters 6. Where the Red Fern Grows: Literary Qualities 7. Where the Red Fern Grows: Social Sensitivity Where the Red Fern Grows 1 8. Where the Red Fern Grows: Topics for Discussion 9. Where the Red Fern Grows: Ideas for Reports and Papers 10. Where the Red Fern Grows: Related Titles / Adaptations 11. Where the Red Fern Grows: For Further Reference 12. Copyright Where the Red Fern Grows: Overview Where the Red Fern Grows is a love story about Billy Coleman and two redbone coonhounds during the Great Depression. Ten-year-old Billy was consumed by a desire to possess such hounds and hunt the Illinois River bottoms for Mr. Ringtail near his home in northeastern Oklahoma. Just any old dog would not do. They had to be good redbone coonhounds. Since his parents were unable to grant his request for dogs, Billy prayed and felt God surely would help him and give him heart, courage, and determination. He found an ad for the kind of dogs he wanted in a sporting magazine left at a campsite by some fishermen. He dug a K. C. Baking Powder can out of the trash and cleaned it up to use as a bank for his money and set about earning the necessary fifty dollars, a nickel and a dime at a time. He caught crawdads and minnows, dug worms, and gathered vegetables, which he sold to the fisherman who drove into the Ozarks to vacation and fish. In berry season, he picked berries and sold them to his grandfather for his general store for ten cents a bucket. In the winter he trapped small animals and sold their skins. Billy's mother was concerned for her children growing up with no formal schooling, only what she provided for them at home. She was dismayed at the thought that they would feel out of place among people in town and longed to move so her children would grow up with the benefits of an education. After two years, Billy had the necessary money to order the pups. He took his K. C. Baking Powder can of money and the ad to his grandfather's store and asked for help ordering the pups. Grandfather was astonished by what Billy had accomplished and consented to order the pups. After what seemed an eternity, the pups arrived at the freight station thirty miles away. Billy walked the distance to bring his pups home. A lengthy time of training ensued. With the help of a raccoon skin, Billy spent hours teaching his pups, Old Dan and Little Ann, every trick he knew a raccoon could pull on a dog. His training and devotion to his pups paid off with night after night of hunting in the hills and river bottoms surrounding his home. Pure joy filled those days and nights. Pelt after pelt adorned the barn wall. As he took the pelts to his grandfather's store, he and his grandfather regaled coon hunters, gathered at the general store, with tales of the miraculous things his dogs could do. Life is not without problems and neither was Billy's life. The Pritchard family has two boys, one older than Billy and one his age, Rubin and Rainie, respectively. They are mean and always pick fights. They challenge Billy and his dogs to a coon hunt. Unable to resist their insults, Grandpa puts up the two dollars to meet their wager and threatens to come after them if they harm Billy in any way. After Old Dan and Little Ann tree the "Ghost Coon" that no one has been able to tree, the night turns ugly. Rubin and Rainie jump Billy when he refuses to kill the coon. Rubin falls on the ax that Billy always carries hunting and dies. Billy is riddled with guilt and cannot forget the sight for a long time after. Shortly after that incident Billy's grandfather enters Billy and his dogs in a prestigious coon hunting contest staged in an area near their home. By now Billy is fourteen. Grandfather provides the entry fee, food, camping equipment, and transportation and takes Billy and his father to the contest. Twenty-five pairs of the best coonhounds in the country converge to determine which dogs are the best in the country. On the fourth night when it is Billy's turn to hunt his dogs, a sudden sleet and snow storm sets in. eNotes: Table of Contents 2 Conditions are treacherous, but Old Dan and Little Ann do not let the dangers of freezing or getting lost in the unfamiliar territory deter their determination to hunt. In a blinding storm, they tree the most coons and win the contest, a gold cup, and three hundred dollars. Billy cares little for the money he receives each time he sells pelts to his grandfather. He turns it over to his father thinking that he is contributing to the family income. However, his father has saved all of it and after the coon hunting contest, gives it to his wife. She believes God has answered her prayers to move her children to town but knowing they cannot separate Billy and his dogs, they make arrangements for Billy to stay with his grandfather. However, this scenario never happens as one night Billy's dogs chase and tree a mountain lion who is too much for them. Old Dan is horribly injured in the ensuing fight and dies. Little Ann loses her will to live without Old Dan and also dies. The loss is tragic for Billy and his family. The story ends on a positive note as the family prepares to leave their home for a home in town. Billy goes to visit the graves of his beloved dogs one last time. There he finds the legendary "red fern" growing up between their graves and arching over them. Where the Red Fern Grows: About the Author Wilson Rawls was born September 24, 1913, to Minzy and Winnie Rawls. He grew up on a small farm near Scraper, Oklahoma. He was introduced to reading and its attendant joys by his mother. She read aloud from books purchased by his grandmother. For a long time he thought that all books, in his words, were "girl books." This mind-set ended when his mother brought home a book that changed his life. It was the story of a man and a dog, Jack London's Call of the Wild. This book changed Rawls' life. After reading it, he carried it around wherever he went, read it aloud to his dog, and considered it to be his first real treasure. Being the treasure that it was sparked an idea in Rawls that he, too, could be a writer. He decided that one day he would write a story that would affect others as Call of the Wild had affected him. Rawls was born into a poor family. He was unable to attend school because there was no school where he lived. His mother taught her children to read and write. When a school was built, he attended two to three months in the summer. Later, his family moved to Tahlequah where he attended regularly but dropped out before he completed eighth grade because of the Depression. His ambitious dream never faded. He often talked to his father about his plan to write. Although his family was too poor to buy pencils and paper for him, his father's response gave Rawls hope and advice which he followed, "Son, a man can do anything he sets out to do, if he doesn't give up." He kept his writing ambitions private from his peers and spent his teen years working as an itinerant carpenter. He worked for an oil company and later he worked construction in Mexico and South America. Other jobs included working on the Alcan Highway in Alaska, helping to build parts of five major dams in the United States, working in various West Coast shipyards, and serving as a crew member in the Oregon State Navy. Rawls worked jobs wherever he could find them. During all this time he wrote stories. In fact, he wrote on every scrap piece of paper he could get. On August 23, 1958, at the age of forty-five, he married Ann Styczinski. Just prior to his marriage, Rawls opened the trunk, which he used as storage for all his writings, and proceeded to burn his dreams which had become reality written on paper. Included in the manuscripts which Rawls burned were five full-length novels, including Where the Red Fern Grows. Only after his wife persuaded him, Rawls rewrote the story which was based on his boyhood life. Where the Red Fern Grows appeared in the Saturday Evening Post as a serial under the title, "Hounds of Youth." Then Doubleday published it in book form. Later it ran again in two other newspapers. Where the Red Fern Grows: Overview 3 Rawls declared himself a full-time writer in 1959 and lectured to students in elementary schools, secondary schools, colleges, and universities throughout the western part of the United States. He began traveling the eastern half of the United States in 1975. During these years Rawls encouraged youngsters to keep reaching for their goals. "As long as [you] are honest and truthful and don't hurt anyone along the way, [you] will have help in reaching [your] goal," he told them. When asked by children for some advice, Rawls always responded by saying, Do a lot of reading. Do not worry about grammar and punctuation on your first draft. The important thing is to get your story down on paper. Your first work will probably need a lot of rewriting. You can worry about grammar and punctuation then. Remember, the more you write and rewrite, the better you will get. And most important of all, do not get discouraged. If you keep trying and don't give up, you will make it some day. The road can be rough, but the day you see your work in print will make it all worth it. Best of luck! Rawls died of cancer on December 16, 1984, in his hometown, Marshfield, Wisconsin. Rawls was a member of the Authors Guild, Authors League of America, International Platform Association, and, among other things, a lifetime and honorary member of the Idaho PTA. Honors and awards bestowed on him include a nomination for the "Gold Star List" and the Evansville Book Award for Where the Red Fern Grows. Summer of the Monkeys was awarded the Sequoyah Children's Book Award, the William Allen White Children's Book Award, and the Golden Archer Award. Where the Red Fern Grows: Chapter Summaries Chapter 1 Summary The narrator exits his office on a beautiful afternoon, contemplating the perfection of the day. He whistles a tune that expresses his peace of mind and contentedness. Suddenly, his calm is disturbed by the sound of a vicious dogfight. Before he can react, a throng of dogs rushes toward him from an alley, and he takes refuge near the edge of the sidewalk. As the dogs move past him, he realizes that a single dog is being attacked by the horde of others. He fears that the lone dog will be killed by the pack if he does not intervene or call for help. As he considers his decision, the dog under attack makes a stunning impression upon him. He rises from the midst of the throng, courageously fighting against the other dogs and gaining a strategic position underneath some shrubbery. With his back to the tree and facing the other dogs, the narrator gets a glimpse at him. He is astonished to see that the courageous dog that has braved this fierce battle is a red hound. One after another, the dogs in the pack swiftly attack the hound. The succession of defeats by the hound is equally swift. After the hound decisively defeats several of the dogs, the narrator intervenes. First he screams and thunders at the dogs in an attempt to scare them away. When these efforts fail, he uses his jacket to smack the dogs away and disperse the throng. Once the dogs have scattered, the narrator approaches the hound and coaxes him from beneath the bushes. The narrator is moved with pity when he sees that the dog is filthy and malnourished. He examines the dog’s paws and realizes that the dog has traveled a great distance and is likely far from home. He takes the animal to his home, where he tenderly bathes and generously feeds him. He allows the hound to rest for the entire night and most of the next day. That night, however, the animal becomes so restless that the narrator mercifully sets him free. Surprisingly, the act of freeing the animal brings the narrator to tears. As he releases the hound, the narrator considers the dog’s probable history. He believes that the dog, whose collar was inscribed with the name Buddie, is probably in search of his home. He speculates that the dog is determined to find his way back to his home and the owner who must love him. Where the Red Fern Grows: About the Author 4 The narrator re-enters his house in a contemplative mood. He prepares to lounge in his rocker in front of a warm fire. As he strikes a match to light his pipe, his eyes rest on two trophies that decorate his mantle. These prizes remind him of significant events from his past, and he is in the perfect mood for reminiscing. Chapter 2 Summary The narrator’s recollections begin with experiences when he was ten years old. He remembers the beginnings of an intense desire that was the strongest of his young life: he wanted dogs. He recalls the first time he petitioned his father for them. With good-natured patience and understanding, his father considers his request. Then he speculates that one of their neighbors, whose dog was expecting a litter, might give him a puppy. The narrator adamantly rejects the suggestion, informing his father that he must have two dogs and that he only wants hounds—hunting dogs. Sadly, the narrator’s father explains, hunting dogs are expensive and the family cannot afford such a luxury. Although the narrator understands his father’s response, he does not accept it. Rather, he approaches his mother and begs her for the two hounds. Unlike his father, whose only objection was cost, his mother dislikes the idea entirely. She thinks he is too young to hunt and reminds him that he will not even be allowed to use a gun until he is at least twenty-one years old. His hopes dashed, the narrator is further disheartened to observe that his home is perfectly situated for hunting. He notes that his home is seated snugly in a fertile area near a forest, a river, and a mountain range. He also marvels that the sheer variety of plant and animal life near their home is too tempting to resist. In fact, he feels that he was born to hunt. He studies tracks of the various animals that inhabit the area near his home, especially those of raccoons. The more he sees, the more difficult it becomes for him to be without dogs. He simply cannot quench his longing for hounds and the hunting experience, so he approaches his parents again. Again, he fails. This time the narrator is crushed, and his inward disappointment is reflected in his outward manner. He loses his appetite; becomes less active; and suffers conflicting feelings because, as badly as he wants the hounds, he realizes that his family is too poor to afford them. He makes a concession and asks his father to buy him only one hound. His father is moved by his effort because he understands how difficult it is for his son to limit his request to only one hound. Still, he patiently explains to his son that the purchase of even a single hound is simply not possible because the family does not have the money. The narrator understands his father’s decision and he accepts it. Yet he despairs and cries himself to sleep. The next day, the narrator’s father returns home with a gift for him. He has purchased a set of steel traps for the narrator so he can at least gain a limited hunting experience. The narrator is eager to learn how to use his new traps. His father teaches him the basics, and he begins setting his traps immediately. His first attempts are disastrous because he only succeeds in capturing and maiming the family’s cat, Samie. After getting captured several times, Samie the cat runs away and returns only occasionally for food. The narrator continues to set his traps and begins to experience success in capturing an assortment of animals near his home. He is pleased with his overall success, but he is disappointed when he fails to trap a large, crafty raccoon that he calls “Mister Ringtail.” Although the raccoon consistently evades his snares, the narrator finds pleasant escape in devising ways to improve his trapping techniques. For a while, the narrator’s success in capturing small animals and his efforts to capture the big raccoon satisfy his urge to hunt. However, when hunting season begins, the sound of hounds wailing throughout the night rekindles his desire for hounds. Each night, he lies awake and listens to the raccoon hunters and their hounds. His mother notices his sleeplessness and the consequent change in him. She complains to his father that he appears tired and restless. His father explains that the remedy is to give the narrator more responsibility. He Chapter 1 Summary 5 announces that the boy is old enough to begin helping him on the farm. He believes that the narrator will recover both his physical and emotional health if he exerts himself on the farm. The narrator is pleased with his father’s decision, elated that his father thinks that he is capable enough to engage in grown men’s work. Chapter 3 Summary The narrator—Billy—finds temporary solace by working alongside his father on his family’s farm. He still longs for hound pups but fears that his family will always be too poor to afford them. Just as he is coming to terms with his disappointment, he finds reason to hope. Billy’s family farm is located adjacent to a river. One day, as he is performing his chores in the field, he notices the remains of a fishermen’s camp. Even before completing his chores, he rushes to the abandoned camp to see what the fishermen may have left behind. He excitedly explores the site, hoping to find discarded or forgotten treasures. To his surprise and delight, he finds that the campers have discarded a sporting magazine. Within the pages of the magazine is an advertisement for hound pups. In the advertisement, a kennel in Kentucky is offering two hound pups for fifty dollars. Although Billy does not have the money, he is determined to find a way to earn it. Finding the means to purchase the hounds in the advertisement begins to preoccupy Billy’s thoughts. As he considers the cost of the pups, the he realizes that although he does not have the money, he possesses the earning potential. He can harvest and sell vegetables, wild berries, and fishing bait. He can also trap animals and sell the hides at his grandfather’s store. He immediately puts his plan into action. He begins by finding an old baking powder can and depositing twenty-three cents into the can. This is the money he has already saved. All summer, he works tirelessly to earn more. His grandfather is curious about why he works and earns yet never spends, so he asks him about his plans for the money. He explains that he is saving fifty dollars to buy two hound pups. He asks his grandfather to help him make the purchase once he saves the money. His grandfather agrees to do so and to keep his plan a secret from the boy’s parents. After two years, Billy’s industrious efforts pay off. He finds that he has earned the fifty dollars he needs to buy the hound pups. The next morning, Billy gathers his money and rushes to his grandfather’s store. When he arrives, he patiently waits until his grandfather assists his customers. Once they are gone from the store, he approaches the counter and pours the coins into a mound in front of his grandfather. His grandfather is completely surprised and asks the narrator how he obtained this mountain of money. He reminds his grandfather of their conversation from two years ago. Then he explains that he has worked two years earning the money and that he intends to purchase the two hound pups advertised in the sporting magazine. His grandfather notices scars and cuts on his feet and asks him how he sustained the injuries. The boy explains that he cut them on thorns and briars as he picked berries. His grandfather sees his great sacrifice, and he turns away to hide his tears. Now that Billy had earned enough money to purchase the pups, his grandfather informs him that they need to contact the kennel and find out if the pups are still available and if they still cost fifty dollars. His grandfather also advises him to wait before he tells his parents about his plan to buy the pups. Billy agrees and prepares to go home. As he nears the door, his grandfather stops him and gives him a full bag of candy, which Billy begins to enjoy on his long walk home. He decides to save most of the candy and share it with his sisters. They are thrilled when he arrives home and scatters the candy on the bed for all to enjoy. Chapter 4 Summary The baking soda can finally contains the fifty dollars Billy needs to buy the hound pups, and his grandfather has written to the kennel in Kentucky to see if the pups are still available and if they still cost fifty dollars. Chapter 2 Summary 6 Billy races to his grandfather’s store day after day to see if the kennel has written in response to their inquiries. Again and again, he is disappointed to find that they have received no response. Then one day, his grandfather gives him good news. The kennel has finally responded and the pups are available. Furthermore, the kennel had reduced the price from twenty-five dollars per pup to twenty dollars each. But there is still one obstacle: Billy will have to travel to the distant town of Tahlequah to retrieve the hound pups. At dinner that evening, Billy impulsively asks his father how far the state of Kentucky is from their home. His father is puzzled by the question and his sisters tease him. The question reignites his mother’s concern for his seemingly declining health and for his long, unkempt hair, which is badly in need of a cut. Billy reassures his mother that he will get a haircut as soon as possible and he halts his father’s and sister’s jesting by telling them that he heard someone mention Kentucky during a visit to his grandfather’s store. Two weeks after sending the money, Billy’s grandfather informs him that the pups have arrived in Tahlequah. Moreover, he has arranged for one of Billy’s neighbors to drive him to Tahlequah to take possession of the dogs. His grandfather announces that the puppies will belong to him in only one week. Armed with this good news, Billy feels that he must now tell his father what he has accomplished. After dinner, Billy tries to summon the courage to tell his father about the pups. Nevertheless, his dream of actually owning the pups is so precious and dear that he cannot bring himself to disclose that he has nearly attained it. In fact, although he is supposed to be sleeping in bed, Billy is so anxious to get his hound pups that he hastily decides to walk more than thirty miles to Tahlequah. Without requesting or waiting for permission from his parents, he stealthily gathers a few provisions and begins his journey. Billy walks for miles and miles, stopping only as dawn approaches to build a fire and prepare a simple meal. As he enters the town of Tahlequah, he is a little timid because he has never been in a town before. He stares at the citizens as they pass him along the street, and they stare at him in return. He is astonished at the variety and assortment of merchandise in the store windows. He is also captivated by his own reflection in a storefront window because it is the first time he has ever seen his full reflection. As he considers his own image, he notices two women who describe him in one word: wild. Rather than take offense at the women’s comments, he enters the store to purchase gifts for his family. Once inside the store, Billy generously buys clothes for his father and cloth for his mother so she can make clothes for herself and his sisters. He also buys a sack of candy. After making his purchases, he is eager to move toward the depot and collect his puppies. However, he hears a noisy commotion and seeks to find the source of the disturbance. As he approaches the area, he notices a large cluster of boys gathered around the end of a pipe. Other boys are sliding out of the end of the chute. Apparently, the object of their play is to see which boy covered the most distance upon flying out of the chute. Curiously, Billy approaches the throng of boys. They gawk and ask him where he attends school. When he tells them that he is homeschooled, they jeer at him, calling him “hillbilly” and mocking him for walking barefoot. Just then, the bell rings to end recess and the students pour into the building, leaving him alone on the playground. When the playground is clear, Billy examines the marks on the ground left by each boy’s feat. He gauges the distance that each boy must have traveled. Then his curiosity and competitiveness impel him to try to execute the stunt. As he crawls up the chute, he envisions the triumph he will feel as he soars through the air and surpasses the jumping distances of all the other boys. However, his triumph was not meant to be: when he reaches the top of the shoot, he clumsily begins to slide backward. He flies out of the chute and lands facedown in the sand. His only audience is a lady across the street who good-naturedly laughs at his failure. Chapter 4 Summary 7 Chapter 5 Summary Billy decides it is time to collect his puppies, so he walks to the depot. Upon arriving, he looks inside and sees the stationmaster at work. He becomes very anxious and paces back and forth along the platform. The stationmaster notices him and comes out. To break the ice, the stationmaster strikes up a casual conversation with Billy about the weather. Then he scans the boy’s appearance and asks him where he lives. When the narrator tells him, he informs him that he is waiting for a boy from that area named Billy Colman to take delivery of two hound pups. He answers that he is Billy Colman. Then the stationmaster takes him inside the depot to get his puppies. When the stationmaster shows Billy his puppies, he feels paralyzed with excitement. The puppies walk up to him, and he embraces them for a few minutes. Then he cuts two holes in the sack he is carrying and places the puppies’ heads through the holes so they can breathe as he carries them home. He leaves the station and begins his journey home. As he exits the town, several boys gather around him and corner him in a doorway. One after the other, the boys fight Billy. Although he defeats three of them, he realizes that he cannot win the fight because there are simply too many of them. The boys overwhelm him and beat him until the town’s sheriff arrives and chases them away. The sheriff helps Billy up from the ground and takes him into one of the marvelous shops for a strawberry soda. As Billy enjoys the first soda he has ever had, the sheriff asks him a few questions. When he realizes that Billy has walked more than thirty miles to retrieve his puppies, the sheriff is concerned that it is an unsafe distance to travel alone. Billy reassures him that he is very familiar with the territory and that he can travel the distance safely. He gathers his pups and the gifts he purchased for his family and leaves the town. Billy walks out of the town and through the hills and forests on the way home. At nightfall, he makes camp in a cave, where he and the puppies will spend the night. He builds a fire and feeds his puppies. Then he eats his evening meal. As he watches his puppies, he notices that the boy pup and the girl pup manifest differences in personality. The boy pup is courageous and impetuous, while the girl pup is deliberate and shrewd. Billy continues to watch them until he falls asleep. During the late hours of the night, the boy and the puppies are awakened by a shrieking howl. A mountain lion is outside the entrance to the cave. The puppies bark and howl, determined to protect themselves and their owner from the big cat. Billy remembers that his father once told him that mountain lions fear fire, so he begins to heap wood onto the fire, and the blazing flames frighten the cat away. Chapter 6 Summary At daybreak, Billy is pleased to find that the mountain lion has given up and gone away. He prepares his breakfast and eats. Then he feeds his pups and resumes his walk homeward. He realizes that he has yet to name the puppies and begins to consider a catalogue of possible names for his dogs. His thoughts are so preoccupied by his task that he does not realize he is almost at home. He sees a tree where someone has etched two names within a heart. He names his pups Dan and Ann, the two names carved in the center of the heart. Satisfied that he has chosen well, Billy surveys his surroundings and is astonished to find that he is at the fishermen’s campsite where he discovered the advertisement for the puppies. While he is relieved to be so close to home, he is beset with anxiety because he knows that he must face his parents and their disapproval. Therefore, he remains at the campsite and plays with his puppies. He does not go home until after nightfall. Chapter 5 Summary 8 When Billy enters his house, his family is pleased to see him. His mother cries with relief. His father explains that he is happy to see he has gotten his puppies but that his decision to leave home without permission was very unwise. He further explains that his mother has been worried for his safety and well-being. Billy listens respectfully to his father’s short lecture and then he gives his family the gifts he purchased for them in Tahlequah. His family is overjoyed with the gifts. Billy regales his family with stories about the town. He tells them about the stares he received from the residents and about the goods and products in the town’s stores. His younger sisters are enchanted when he tells them about the sparkling flavor of strawberry soda. Overall, he explains, the town was inhospitable and unappealing. His father cautions him not to make hasty generalizations about life in town because he hopes that his children will someday attend public school there. Again, Billy listens respectfully. His father reminds his children that it is time for bed, so Billy puts his puppies outside to sleep. The next day, Billy makes a doghouse for his puppies, and his father gives him leather straps to use as collars. Billy carefully etches their names into the straps and gingerly placed them around the puppies’ necks. That night, Billy humbly confesses to his mother that he prayed for the puppies. He also tells her that he coincidentally found names for the dogs in the same campsite where he discovered the magazine advertising them. His mother asks him if he believes the puppies were heaven-sent, and Billy tells her that he does. Chapter 7 Summary Billy’s puppies are equipped with proper collars and a proper home. Now he needs to teach them to hunt. To teach them properly, he will need a coonskin, so he renews his efforts to capture Mister Ringtail. For three weeks, despite his dogged efforts, the crafty raccoon eludes him. Perplexed and annoyed, Billy goes to his grandfather’s store to ask for advice. Billy’s grandfather offers him straightforward and simple advice for catching the large raccoon. He instructs Billy to use a brace and bit to drill a hole into a sturdy, hollow log. Then he should bait the raccoon by placing a shiny object into the log. Finally, he needs to drive several nails into the log around the area where he has drilled the hole. He explains to Billy that the raccoon will reach into the log and grasp the shiny object, and the nails will pierce and entangle his paw. For a moment, Billy is excited to learn this trick. Then he accuses his grandfather of teasing him. He reasons that the raccoon can free himself by simply releasing the shiny object and withdrawing his paw. His grandfather assures him the trick will work because the raccoon will never release the shiny object. Billy returns home and discusses this plan with his father. The next day, Billy sets several traps in the area near the river. Early the next morning, Billy races to his traps to see if he has captured any raccoons. Finding all of his traps empty, he asks his father if he made any mistakes when he fashioned the traps. His father speculates that the animals might be averse to human scent. Billy decides to be patient until his scent dissipates from the area near the traps. Each morning, he hurriedly runs to the river to check his traps. Each morning he is disappointed and aggravated. After a week, he is despondent and refuses to get out of bed. Billy’s mother is again concerned by his fluctuating emotions and asks his father to talk to him. His father understands that Billy is downhearted because he has not captured a raccoon, and he explains to Billy that it typically takes a week for human scent to dissipate. The traps have been set a week, so he encourages Billy to check them again. After breakfast, Billy checks his traps. His task begins with disappointment because his first traps are empty. Then, as he approaches his third trap, he hears the cries of a trapped raccoon. His dogs excitedly attack the animal and the animal strikes back. The raccoon is bigger and stronger than the puppies, so Billy grabs his Chapter 6 Summary 9 puppies into his arms and runs home for help. He runs into the yard screaming for help, and his mother and sisters respond, thinking that a snake has bitten him. When he tells them that he is not injured and that his excitement stems from his capture of the big raccoon, his mother becomes stern. She tells him that he has frightened her unnecessarily and that he needs to be disciplined. His father arrives and comforts his mother. When everyone is calm, the family follows Billy to the log. His father kills and frees the trapped raccoon. Then he tells Billy that he does not want him to use this trapping method again. He says that it is unsportsmanlike and unfair to the animals. Instead, he tells him to hunt animals using more traditional methods. Billy promises he will not use this trick again. Using the large coonskin, Billy begins to train his puppies. He teaches them how to follow an animal’s scent throughout the area. He patiently leads them up tall trees and over tricky waters. Throughout the summer and into the fall, Billy applies himself to the task. When he has taught them all he knows, he eagerly awaits the first day of hunting season. Chapter 8 Summary The first day of hunting season finally arrives and Billy is ecstatic. He spends the seemingly endless daylight hours preparing for the night’s hunt. His father understands his excitement and tells him that, during hunting season, he is excused from his daily chores. Billy graciously thanks him, noting that his nightly hunts will likely leave him exhausted during daylight hours. His father tells him that his mother is still apprehensive about allowing him to hunt alone at night. Therefore, he tells Billy that it is important to tell them where he will be each night. Billy agrees. When his father leaves, Billy proudly reflects that his father speaks to him as if he were a grown man rather than a young boy. Once Billy has made preparations for the night, he has a talk with his puppies. He tells them that he is proud of their labors, and he explains that they will put all their training to use this night. He feels that Little Ann understands him even if Old Dan does not. That evening, after sharing dinner with his family, Billy gathers his hunting supplies and embarks on his first hunting adventure. Billy leads his puppies to an area near the river to begin the hunt. Immediately, they begin searching for the scent of raccoons. Soon they detect the scent and, without delay, they are on the trail of their prey. Billy screams with excitement, yelling, “Whoo-e-e-e,” the characteristic yell of raccoon hunters. He proudly watches as his puppies pursue the raccoon and remain on the trail despite the raccoon’s attempts to elude them. Little Ann in particular trails the prey with precision. However, the raccoon finally shakes them off its trail, and Billy is prepared to move to another area to continue hunting. Before Billy leaves the area, both Old Dan and Little Ann begin to howl at the base of a tree. Astonished, Billy follows them and discovers that Little Ann has found the raccoon nesting in the hollow of a great sycamore tree. Although Billy is thrilled that his puppies have treed a raccoon, to capture his prey he will have to either climb the tree or chop it down. But he is dismayed by the size of this tree, and neither task seems plausible. Billy’s eager puppies have trapped a raccoon in one of the biggest trees in the forest. In fact, he has long referred to this tree as “the big tree” because it towers above all of the other trees in the area. Billy estimates that the lowest limb on the tree is at least sixty feet off the ground. He also estimates that, although he has a sharp ax, it would take nearly “a month” to chop down the tree. Regrettably, he decides, he will have to leave the raccoon in the tree and hunt elsewhere. However, his puppies have other plans. Despite his attempts to take the puppies away from the tree, Billy cannot convince them to leave the raccoon. The do not respond to his calls and they refuse to stop barking and yelping at the base of the tree. Remembering his promise to capture any raccoon that his puppies could trap in a tree, Billy decides to chop Chapter 7 Summary 10 down the tree. He does not want to let his puppies down, so he takes his ax and begins chopping near the bottom of the enormous tree. Billy’s work is strenuous, and he is making little progress. Still, he works through; his father finds him early the next morning, exhausted but determined to fell the giant tree. His father explains that his mother is consumed with worry and that he should go home, eat, rest, and reassure her. Billy refuses, explaining that he promised his puppies he would capture the raccoon and that he must keep his word. His father applauds his integrity and offers to help him chop down the tree. Billy informs him that this is a job he must complete on his own. His father tells him that he respects his decision and that he will send his sister to him with food and provisions so he can remain near the tree. Billy’s sister brings him food, but she derides his decision to chop down the tree. She insists that the tree is too massive and that he will never complete the task. Rather than become discouraged, Billy chases her away and finishes his lunch. He then feeds his puppies with the scraps his mother included in the lunch bucket and resumes his tireless efforts to chop down the gigantic sycamore. Chapter 9 Summary Billy continues to chop away at the tree, taking only momentary breaks to rest his hands and gather his breath. As night approaches, he is weary and fatigued. He is determined to chop down the big sycamore and capture the raccoon; nonetheless, he has spent one night in the woods and is not eager to do it again. Just as he feels that his physical and mental energy has been completely drained, his grandfather arrives. Billy is relieved to see his grandfather and confesses that he is ready to surrender. He tells him that the big tree will take days to chop down and that he is simply too exhausted to continue. His grandfather first rejects the notion of giving up, telling him that he must never begin anything he cannot finish. Billy counters that he does not want to give up but that the task is impossible because it will take days to chop down the tree. Furthermore, he says, if he leaves the tree, the raccoon will escape. Billy’s grandfather listens attentively to his complaints and then offers a solution. Using clothes, a stocking cap, leaves and sticks, he helps Billy construct a scarecrow. Billy skeptically suggests that the raccoon is too smart to believe that the scarecrow is a real person. His grandfather reassures him that it will take days before the raccoon realizes that the scarecrow is inanimate. He reminds Billy that he only needs a good meal and a good night’s rest before he can resume the task. He promises that the raccoon will still be in the tree in the morning. Billy’s mood improves immediately, and he and his grandfather share a laugh. Once the scarecrow is in place, Billy has to persuade his puppies, especially Old Dan, to leave the tree. Billy and his grandfather arrive at his house and enjoy a meal with the family. After dinner, Billy’s mother massages his sore muscles and soothes them with ointment. Then Billy goes to bed and immediately fell asleep. The next morning, just as he sits down to breakfast, his father enters the room and tells him that he was awakened several times during the night by a howling dog. He says it sounded like Old Dan. Billy goes outside to check on his dogs. Billy finds Little Ann in the yard, but he cannot locate Old Dan. Remembering how tenacious Old Dan was concerning the sycamore tree, Billy decides to look for him there. When he arrives at the tree with Little Ann, they find Old Dan howling at the raccoon. Billy strokes the puppy’s head and congratulates him on his diligence. Little Ann playfully and excitedly rolls in the leaves, and Billy looks at her with disappointment. He thinks that she is a selfish dog because she slept peacefully in the yard while Old Dan kept watch at the base of the tree. Then he notices imprints in the leaves near the tree. The imprints suggest that both dogs, not just one, slept on the ground near the base of the tree. He lovingly caresses Little Ann and beams with pride Chapter 8 Summary 11 because he has two such diligent hounds. Rejuvenated by a good meal and a good night’s rest, Billy recommences his chopping. He chops for hours and hours. Late in the afternoon, however, his hands begin to blister. The blisters appear quickly and cover his palms. Then the rough action of the ax handle punctures them and they ooze, one after the other, leaving painful sores in the palms of his hands. When the pain becomes unbearable, Billy again vows to give up. His puppies are still not convinced, however, and they refuse to leave the tree. In desperation, Billy falls to his knees and prays to God for the strength to complete his task. Suddenly he sees the big sycamore begin to sway a little in the wind. As the big tree begins to creak from the force of the wind, Billy looks around him. He does not see any other tree in the forest moving. However, the big sycamore begins to rock with the wind and soon falls to the ground with a crash. When the tree hits the ground, the raccoon attempts to escape from the hollow in the tree. In his eagerness to catch it, Old Dan runs headlong into a tree. Little Ann, on the other hand, is in hot pursuit of the raccoon. When Little Ann catches the raccoon, the two animals engage in a vicious fight. Billy uses a stick to club the raccoon, and he takes his prize home to show his family. As he and his father skin the raccoon, Billy asks him if he felt a stiff breeze any time during the day. His father tells him that, to his recollection, the wind was calm all day. Then Billy tells his father about his prayer, the wind in the sycamore, and the stillness of the rest of the trees in the woods. He asks his father if he believes that the tree fell miraculously. His father first offers the plausible explanation that the tall tree may have been shaken by a wind that was too high to sway the other trees. Then he tells Billy that he must decide such issues for himself. Billy agrees and decides that the tree fell as a result of divine intervention. Chapter 10 Summary Billy’s mother makes him a coonskin cap from the raccoon he captured in the big sycamore tree. Following his first triumph, Billy and his hounds spend every night in the woods hunting raccoons. He credits his hound pups for his success. Old Dan and Little Ann use their combined hunting skills to track even the most cunning raccoons, and Billy proudly displays the hides on the wall of the smokehouse. Billy’s grandfather speculated earlier that raccoon hides would increase in value as people begin to use them to make coats and other fashions. Billy profits from the rising prices as his grandfather predicted. As Billy amasses the coonskins, he sells them at his grandfather’s store. His grandfather does not give his earnings to him but to his father. Billy has no qualms with this arrangement; he was only interested in hunting. Billy develops a habit of visiting his grandfather’s store only when necessary. Other hunters frequent his grandfather’s store, and their dogs often attacked Billy’s hounds, especially Old Dan. To prevent these affrays, Billy makes strenuous efforts to leave his dogs at home when he goes to his grandfather’s store to sell his hides. Unfortunately, his hounds watch him carefully and trail him to the store despite his efforts to elude them. Most hunters frequent the store on Saturday, so Billy often takes his load of hides to the store on that day. He enjoys listening to the hunters’ tales of their adventures in the woods. However, now that he has hunting experience, he can share his own stories with the men at the store. He most enjoys boasting about Old Dan’s courage and Little Ann’s cleverness. Although the men enjoy his entertaining stories, they often tease him about the size of his hounds, especially Little Ann, who is much smaller than the average hound. Billy is offended by the insults and reminds the hunters that his hounds have had more success than any of the others. The hunters reluctantly acknowledge his point. Chapter 9 Summary 12 Billy is proud that his hounds work as a team. However, he is surprised to learn that Old Dan will not hunt without his partner, Little Ann. When Little Ann injures her paw, Billy treats the wound, bandages her foot, and locks her in the corncrib for safety. He decides to continue to hunt. He gathers his supplies and takes Old Dan into the woods in search of raccoons. Shortly after they arrive in the woods, Billy notices that Old Dan is nowhere in sight. He combs the area looking for his dog, but he cannot find him. Following a thorough search, Billy returns to his yard and finds Old Dan cuddled up beside the corncrib where Little Ann is confined. He realizes that the dog will not hunt alone. Billy’s family, especially his mother and his sisters, enjoy petting Little Ann. Although Old Dan is not the family’s favorite, Billy admires his dogged determination in the hunt. In fact, Billy observes that Old Dan’s tenacity is quite remarkable. During one hunt, Old Dan follows a raccoon so closely that he enters a cavity in the ground and is nearly buried in the hole. Billy has to return home, find a shovel, and dig Old Dan out before he suffocates in the hole beneath the ground. In another incident, Old Dan follows a raccoon into a hole in a tree. Pursuing the raccoon, he ascends the tree and exits onto a limb. He is more than fifteen feet off the ground, and Billy is certain he will break his legs if he jumps from the limb. To rescue him, Billy courageously scales the tree and collects Old Dan from the limb. He puts him into the hole headfirst and sends him back to the ground. But before he can get himself out of the tree, Old Dan re-enters the hole in search of the raccoon. Again Billy sends him back to the ground. This time, he scurries down the tree and blocks the hole so Old Dan cannot enter again. Finally, he knocks the frightened raccoon from the limb with a rock and allows his dogs to take their prey. Chapter 11 Summary Despite his passion for hunting, Billy has to discontinue his nightly pursuits when an unexpected winter storm hits the area. For nearly a week, the ice, sleet, and snow prevent him from hunting with his hounds. Once the storm passes, his parents give him permission to resume his hunting if he promises to be especially careful. He does as they wish, covering his ax blades with leather sheaths and promising to beware of the sheet of ice that lies beneath the three inches of snow. After being caged for several days, Billy’s hounds are eager to hunt and begin the chase as soon as they enter the woods near the river bottom. Billy also feels liberated, and he yells excitedly to his hounds as they chase the raccoon over the snow-covered ground. The snowy ground makes it difficult for the raccoon to conceal itself or its tracks. Consequently, Billy feels certain that his hounds will trap the raccoon quickly. He listens to the yelps of his dogs as they progress through the chase. He eagerly cheers his hounds onward. He is overjoyed when the chase takes the raccoon near his home, and he hears his family on the porch, cheering his hounds as well. After a few minutes, however, he no longer hears his hounds howl. He listens attentively for the sounds that will indicate their location, but he hears nothing. With his lantern in his hand, Billy begins searching for his dogs. When he hears a wail from Old Dan, he rushes to the location. He sees his male hound, but Little Ann is nowhere to be seen. Still, Old Dan is wailing rather than howling, so Billy panics and begins calling out to Little Ann. When she whimpers a response, he sees her. She is in the icy water, clinging to the embankment. The river water is rushing over her body and she is in a precarious, life-threatening position. As Billy, horrified, contemplates a rescue, he realizes what the crafty raccoon has done: Desperate to escape, it ran to the river and over the frozen surface ice. Then, as it neared the other bank, it leaped over to the other side. Old Dan raced behind the raccoon, ascending the bank only seconds behind it. But when Little Ann attempted the same feat, she fell short and slid backwards into the icy waters of the river. Chapter 10 Summary 13 Billy attempts to walk over the ice to save his dog, but the surface ice begins to crack from his weight. He considers running home to get a rope or to ask his father for help, but he dismisses the idea quickly because Little Ann would drown before he returned. Instead, he runs along the riverbank until he finds tall cane stalks. Using his ax, he cuts a large stalk and strips away part of the bark. Then he places the long stalk through the handle of his lantern and slides it toward Little Ann so he can better ascertain her predicament. He sees that she is literally clinging for her life. Frantic to save Little Ann, Billy again attempts to cross the icy surface. The ice breaks and he grabs the embankment so the icy waters do not carry him downstream. Billy grieves because he thinks his dog will surely die. He cannot reach her. He cannot swim to her. He cries miserably, and then he prays again. This time he prays for the ability to save his dog. While he is praying, he hears a clanking sound. Believing it to be a boat, he screams for help. He hears no response. Billy yells for help again before realizing that he has not heard a boat. Apparently, the handle of his lantern has loosened and is clanking against the side of the lantern. This gives him an idea. He unscrews the lamp handle and inserts it into the tip of the cane stalk. Then he removes his clothes and walks into the freezing water until his neck is underwater. He uses the wire of the lamp handle as a hook to grasp Little Ann’s collar. He drags her limp body to him and climbs ashore. Once Billy retrieves his dog from the icy waters, he digs a hole in the snow and uses the lantern oil to build a fire. He covers the dog with his coat and massages her body until she revives and stands on her own. Then he puts on his clothes and goes home. He decides not to share this horrifying experience with his parents. He arrives home safely, but he is ill for several days afterward. Billy spends three days sick after wading through the freezing water to save Little Ann. Once his mother has nursed him back to health, he asks her if she believes God answers all prayers. She responds that she believes God only answers prayers that are offered in earnest. Billy seems satisfied with her response, but he dislikes it when she walks over to him and showers him with kisses. He thinks her actions suggest that he is a baby, and he reminds her that an experienced ’coon hunter should never be treated like a little boy. Chapter 12 Summary Billy and his hounds have a celebrated reputation in the area near his home. They capture more raccoons than any other team of hunters. His grandfather proudly sells the hides at his store. He also takes pride in boasting about Billy’s hunting skills, at times even exaggerating his successes. Billy patiently tolerates his grandfather’s embellishment of his hunting adventures. One day, Billy takes a bag of corn into town to have it ground into meal for his family. When he arrives at his grandfather’s store, his grandfather is too busy to grind the corn immediately. As Billy waits for his grandfather to serve his customers, he sees two young boys approach. Rubin and Rainie Pritchard are mean-spirited bullies. Rubin is big and aggressive; Rainie is malicious and bad-tempered. The entire Pritchard family has a widespread reputation as unfriendly, lazy, and corrupt. Rubin is two years older than Billy is, and Rainie is close to his age. This day, they order chewing tobacco. When Billy’s grandfather objects to boys their age using tobacco, they say it is for their father. Then they chew it in front of him. Billy typically avoids the Pritchard boys because they try to provoke him into fighting. Although he does not like them, his mother has instructed him to treat them kindly. When they approach him, he dreads the coming confrontation. The Pritchard boys have heard about Billy’s hounds and their expertise in trapping raccoons. The boys argue that the stories are too difficult to believe. They wager that their dogs can hunt better than Billy’s. Billy laughs at the mere suggestion and tells them his grandfather can verify his successes. When Rainie questions his grandfather’s honesty, Billy is prepared to fight. Chapter 11 Summary 14 Billy’s grandfather intercedes and asks the Pritchard boys what they want. They explain that they want to make a wager. Rubin stakes two dollars on a bet that Billy’s hounds cannot capture an elusive raccoon they refer to as the “ghost coon.” Billy knows the Pritchard boys cannot be trusted and he refuses the bet. When Rainie calls him a coward, both Billy and his grandfather take offense. Billy’s grandfather accepts the bet on Billy’s behalf and gives Billy two dollars as security for his portion of the wager. Because he knows that the Pritchards can be cruel and dishonest, Billy’s grandfather warns them that if they harm Billy in any way, then he will see that they land in jail. The next night, Billy meets the Pritchards, shows them his two dollars, and the hunt begins. Billy’s dogs find the scent of the big “ghost hound” very quickly. They pursue the raccoon and stick to its trail despite its efforts to lose them. Time and again, the raccoon crosses the river, hoping the dogs will lose his scent in the water. After a long while, however, the raccoon heads for the tree where he is usually able to escape. Billy’s hounds follow it, and the Pritchards feel certain the raccoon will be lost and they will win the bet. Chapter 13 Summary Just as Rainie and Rubin Pritchard predicted, Billy’s hounds chase the raccoon to the tree where it usually loses the hounds. Moreover, when Billy and the Pritchards reach the tree, the raccoon is nowhere in sight. Old Dan is at the base of the tree, barking wildly. Little Ann, on the other hand, is still following the raccoon’s scent along a fence near the tree. The Pritchard boys, who have seen the raccoon evade capture many times, ask Billy to concede his loss and pay the bet. Billy is not convinced that his hounds have completed the hunt, especially because Little Ann has not barked “treed.” He climbs the tree to see if the raccoon is hiding in a hollow or on the limbs. He cannot find the raccoon and returns to the ground. Billy reluctantly pays Rubin the two dollars, conceding his loss. As the boys prepare to leave the tree, the wind begins to blow and Little Ann gains the raccoon’s scent again. She directs her attention to a gatepost. Upon investigation, Billy discovers that the post is hollow. He uses a long, slender tree branch to force the raccoon out of the hollowed post. Billy’s hounds attack the prey as soon as it exits the post. The experienced old raccoon, fighting for its life, escapes from the hounds and returns to the tree. Billy’s hounds immediately circle the tree, and Billy agrees to climb the tree and force the old raccoon out. When he reaches the limb, however, the raccoon emits a plaintive cry that touches his heart. He tells Rubin and Rainie that he does not want to kill the raccoon. When Rubin threatens to climb the tree and force the raccoon to the ground, Billy unyieldingly informs him that he will not allow Old Dan and Little Ann to kill the creature. The Pritchards tell Billy they will beat him up if he does not allow his hounds to kill the raccoon. As the boys argue over the fate of the ghost coon, the Pritchards’ blue tick hound appears, having gnawed through the rope that bound him. The dog is dragging a sizable limb from the tree to which it was fettered. As the dog enters the area, it begins to circle Old Dan, growling threateningly. Billy warns Rubin and Rainie that Old Dan will not tolerate an attack from the blue tick hound. The Pritchards tell Billy that they do not need him or his hounds. They say Rubin will climb the tree and force the raccoon off the limb. Then their own dog will kill it. Billy realizes he cannot save the ghost coon, so he asks for his two dollars and prepares to go home. The Pritchards refuse to give him his money, although his hounds did tree the raccoon, winning the bet. Instead, they shove him to the ground, pin him down, and threaten to knife him if he tells his grandfather about the money. Chapter 12 Summary 15 As the Pritchards prepare to let Billy go, they hear Old Dan fighting with their dog. The action between the dogs prompts Rubin to slap Billy’s face with his cap again and again. He stops, however, when Rainie yells to him. Old Dan and Little Ann are mauling their hound. Rubin grabs Billy’s ax and rushes to attack his dogs. Billy screams, fearing that Rubin will kill his hounds. However, Rubin trips and falls before reaching the dogs. Billy runs to his dogs and pulls them away from the blue tick hound. He has to pry Little Ann’s jaws open to free her grasp on the dog. He holds firmly to the collars of each of his dogs and ties them to a barbed wire fence so they will not return to the fight. Once he has them under control, he notices that Rainie is standing in an eerie silence near Rubin. Billy approaches the Pritchards and sees that Rubin is lying prostrate on the ground—with the ax sticking out of his body. Apparently, when Rubin tripped over the stalk in the ground, he fell on the ax. Billy touches Rainie to comfort him and Rainie runs away, screaming wildly. Rubin begs Billy to remove the ax from his body. Although he is terrified, Billy takes the ax out of the wound. Blood gushes from the wound and Rubin dies quickly. Keeping his dogs leashed, Billy takes his lantern leads them home. He leaves the ax on the ground near the body. When he arrives at home, he awakens his parents and relates the entire, horrible tale. His father goes to town to get his grandfather so they can take the tragic news to the Pritchard family. He sends Billy to tell a few of the neighbors and to get more help. Although no one blames him for the accident, Billy feels guilty. Rubin’s death has shaken him, and he seeks relief. He finds a floral arrangement his sisters made for him. He discreetly leaves home and walks the long distance to the Pritchard farm. Once there, he stealthily places the bouquet on Rubin’s freshly prepared grave. As he leaves, he observes from his hiding place as Mrs. Pritchard approaches the grave and notices the flowers. She is unaware of the source of the gift, but she is touched by the gesture and Billy is a little relieved. Chapter 14 Summary A few days after Rubin Pritchard’s death, a young neighbor brings Billy a message that his grandfather wants him to visit him at the store. Billy loves his grandfather but he dreads the visit, presuming that his grandfather wants to discuss Rubin’s accidental death. The memories of that night incessantly haunt Billy, and he wants to forget the entire episode. The next day, Billy begins his trip to town. He scolds his hounds for trying to follow him. Eventually, however, he relents, and the hounds contentedly accompany him to town. When he reaches the store, Billy’s grandfather asks him to recount the events on the night of Rubin’s death. Billy explains everything that happened. His grandfather states that he feels responsible for the accident because he accepted the wager. Billy contends that no one was at fault for the accident. In fact, he tells his grandfather, the Pritchards took his money even though he won the bet. His grandfather’s mood lightens a little, and he tells Billy to forget the whole ordeal. Billy’s grandfather says he wants to show him something. He shows him a newspaper advertisement announcing a ’coon hunting competition. He tells Billy that he has never won such a competition but has long wanted to do so. Billy is excited by the advertisement but does not initially realize that his grandfather wants to enter his hounds into the competition. When he becomes aware that his grandfather is willing to pay the registration fees for Old Dan and Little Ann to enter the competition, Billy is overwhelmed with pride and joy. His grandfather explains that he has logged every hide Billy has sold during hunting season and that he has reported the totals to the competition coordinators. The competition is scheduled to be held in six days, Chapter 13 Summary 16 and Billy’s grandfather has made arrangements to travel by buggy to the hunting grounds. Billy’s family is excited by the news, and his youngest sister makes him promise that he will give her the gold cup if he wins. Because his father plans to accompany him and his grandfather, Billy works hard to stockpile supplies for his mother and sisters in their absence. On the morning of their departure, Billy and his father walk to his grandfather’s store. Along the way, they discuss Billy’s hounds, commenting on their skills as hunters and the way they work as a team. When they arrive at the store, the buggy is already loaded with groceries and supplies. Billy also notices that his ax, which he left on the ground beside Rubin Pritchard’s body, is included with the supplies. His grandfather explains that he cleaned the ax and stored it away until Billy had time to recover emotionally. Billy thanks him and accepts his ax, noting that it would come in handy during the hunt. Billy’s grandfather also insists that he make hay beds for hounds so they will be rested before the competition begins. As they leave the store yard, Billy’s grandmother wishes them a safe journey. Then they make their way toward the hunting grounds. Chapter 15 Summary Billy is traveling with his father and his grandfather so his hounds can compete in a regional competition. They journey all day and stop at night to rest. They make camp and prepare an evening meal. Billy’s grandfather insists that he feed his hounds corned beef hash rather than the corn meal mush they ordinarily eat. Sitting before the campfire with his grandfather, Billy and his father share stories about the hounds. For instance, Billy explains that Old Dan will not eat before Little Ann has the opportunity to do so. Billy’s father recounts an incident in which two biscuits had been thrown from the house into the yard. Rather than eat the biscuits, Old Dan picked them from the ground and carried them around the house to the dog house. Then he growled an alert to Little Ann, who came out of the dog house. Each dog ate one biscuit. Billy’s grandfather thinks the stories are remarkable and evidence a strong bond between the dogs. As the conversation continues, Billy moves away from his father and grandfather to enjoy a singular experience. His grandfather had prepared coffee, and he gave Billy a cup of the strong brew. At home, Billy is never allowed to drink coffee. He feels that his grandfather’s gesture signals his approaching manhood. He sits near a tree stump to treasure the moment. Billy is restless and has difficulty sleeping through the night. At one point, he thinks he hears the cries of two screech owls. According to local superstition, hearing two screech owls is a bad omen. The next morning at breakfast he tells his grandfather, who dismisses the belief as irrational. They clean up the camp area and continue their journey. When they arrive at the official hunting grounds, Billy is astounded to see the number of contestants and the fine animals that have come to compete. The hunters are arrayed in fashionable sporting gear, and the dogs are beautifully groomed and primped for the event. Initially even Billy’s grandfather is taken aback by the numbers. To ease his anxiety, Billy strolls around the camp, observing all. He feels better when he hears a hunter comment on him and his hounds; he is proud that his reputation precedes him. Billy’s grandfather encourages him to enter one of his hounds into a beauty contest of sorts. Billy decides to enter Little Ann, and he uses his grandfather’s grooming kit to prepare her for the contest. To his surprise, she wins the contest and he gets a silver cup. Following the contest, the head judge assembles the hunters to explain the rules and procedures for each night’s hunt. Using a lottery process, the twenty-five teams of dogs Chapter 14 Summary 17 will compete against one another. Five teams of dogs will hunt in each night’s elimination round, then the winners of the rounds will compete against one another. Billy is excited to represent his team in the drawing. He draws the fourth night of the hunt and reports back to his father and grandfather. The five teams begin the first night’s hunt, and the camp site is filled with excitement. Billy’s jubilation quickly turns to anxiety, however, when his grandfather discovers strands of red dog hair in his comb and brush. Billy panics and hides beneath the wagon, hoping that his grandfather’s annoyance will subside. Chapter 16 Summary At dusk on Thursday evening, Billy’s hounds finally get the chance to hunt in the fourth round of elimination. The judge accompanies the team to a remote area away from the camp. Billy hopes his hounds will find amply quarry in this area, which has yet to be hunted. Almost in response to his expectation, his hounds immediately find a scent and begin chase. Billy, his father, his grandfather, and the judge busily clamor to keep with his hounds. Unfortunately, his grandfather becomes entangled in some brush and loses his hat and eyeglasses. The excitement of the hunt is intensified when the hounds chase the raccoon through the campsite. All the hunters yell and scream in support of Billy’s hounds. When the hounds finally tree the raccoon, Billy earns his first hide in the competition. Even the judge is impressed with Old Dan’s and Little Ann’s ability to track the raccoon. Following their first success, the hounds quickly tree a second raccoon; Billy’s grandfather has another mishap, falling into the icy cold water. After skinning the raccoon, Billy’s grandfather partially disrobes to dry himself before the fire. Before he is completely dry, however, Billy’s hounds begin howling wildly. Again the team strikes out to follow them, but it is nearing daybreak and there is little time left in the elimination round. Billy’s faith in his hounds is rewarded by a third capture and a third hide. The judge is further awed by the tracking ability of Billy’s hounds. They return to the campsite and the tale of Billy’s hounds is spread throughout the camp. Following the fifth and final night of elimination, Billy learns that his hounds have qualified for the final round of competition. Only three of the twenty-five teams have qualified for the final elimination round, and Billy is both excited and anxious to be included. He knows that his hounds will have to compete against the best hounds in the region. In addition, the hunters have amassed a prize box that contains monetary contributions to be awarded to the winner of the contest. He feels pressured to win. That night, the hunting begins again, and Billy’s hounds quickly hit the trail of a raccoon. This time, the raccoon was both very old and very experienced, employing many tricks to lose the hounds. After an exhaustive chase and a vicious fight, Old Dan and Little Ann capture and kill the raccoon. Then the dogs lick one another’s wounds and ready themselves for the next chase. Chapter 17 Summary Billy’s hounds are in the final round of competition, and they have secured the first hide of the night. However, as his dogs trail another raccoon, the weather becomes menacing. Billy only has one hide and fears he will lose the competition if he does not collect more. He continues to trail his hounds despite several warnings from his father, his grandfather, and the judge. As expected, the area is hit by a searing blizzard. The hunters are blinded by the flying snow, and the wailing wind deafens them to the howls of Billy’s hounds. They all realize they are in jeopardy of becoming lost in this unfamiliar territory, so the judge suggests they find the wagon and return to the campsite. However, Billy Chapter 15 Summary 18 is unwilling to leave his hounds in the woods, especially in such wintry conditions. As they search for the hounds, the blizzard intensifies. Just as Billy’s father convinces him he must leave the hounds and return on their own, Billy hears Old Dan’s cry and renews his pursuit, although the rest of the team is reluctant. The ground is already covered with snow, and the storm is just beginning. In a desperate attempt to locate his puppies, Billy convinces his father to fire the gun, hoping that his dogs will hear it and run to them. His plan succeeds and Little Ann appears out of the driving snow. Billy leashes Little Ann and follows her the in hope of finding and rescuing Old Dan before he loses his life in the winter storm. The trek is both difficult and dangerous. Gusts of wind and snow still blind the hunters, and any tracks made by the dog are completely covered by the new-fallen snow. Still, Billy treads behind Little Ann, believing that she can lead him to Old Dan. Soon he finds Old Dan in a gully at the base of a tree, bawling the signal that he has trapped a raccoon. Billy busily begins removing ice particles from his dog’s body—but his father and the judge are preoccupied with a different task. When Billy notices that his father and the judge still seem to be searching for something, he learns that his grandfather has been lost in the storm. Alarmed, Billy begins screaming hysterically and dashes off in search of his grandfather. His father overtakes him and prevents him from leaving the immediate area. Then his father fires the gun again, and Little Ann comes to the rescue one more time. Little Ann runs ahead of the team and locates Billy’s grandfather. Then she alerts them by wailing a mournful cry. His grandfather is lying unconscious with his face in the snow. Billy’s father and the judge revive his grandfather and carry him to the gully, which offers some protection from the raging storm. As it is near daybreak, the team decides to build a fire and wait until daylight to leave the area. They build a fire and tend to his grandfather’s swollen foot. Once they have settled down to wait out the storm, Billy’s dogs return to the tree and begin howling again. The team had given no thought to continuing the hunt, especially since the storm began in earnest. Still, they follow his hounds to the tree, which was nearby. Billy’s father ascertains that the tree is fairly hollow, so he chops it down. Billy frees his hounds from the leashes, and they spring into action. From the depths of the hollowed tree come three raccoons. Billy’s hounds quickly corner two of them and kill them after a brutal fight. With two more raccoons killed, Billy has three hides for the night, but he knows he will need more to win. His father asks him how many raccoons came from the tree. Billy says he saw three of them, and he points to indicate the direction in which the third raccoon escaped. The hounds respond immediately to Billy’s gesture and dart off in the direction the raccoon traveled. The storm is still raging and the weather conditions are hazardous. Billy is distraught; he feels certain that his hounds will become lost and die in the snowy woods. Chapter 18 Summary As daylight approaches, the blizzard subsides and a more peaceful snowfall settles on the area. Billy’s dogs have been outside all night long, and he had no idea where they are. As he listens for them, he hears the sounds of a rescue team that has been combing the woods in search of his team of hunters. Evidently, the horses had broken loose from the wagon during the night and wandered back into camp. Those in the camp realized the hunting team was stranded and organized a search party; the hunters had spent the entire night looking for Billy and his team. When Billy explains that his hounds are somewhere in the forest stalking a treed raccoon, the hunters are amazed at their tenacity. Then one of them reports that one of the other teams turned in three hides and that Chapter 17 Summary 19 Billy will need at least one more to win. While they are talking, another hunter arrives and reports that he has seen Billy’s hounds and that they are “frozen solid.” Upon hearing this startling news, Billy swoons and collapses. Billy regains consciousness and overhears some of the hunters reprimanding the man who said his dogs were frozen. The man was emphatically trying to explain that he had not meant to suggest that the dogs were dead. He just meant that they were covered with snow and ice from head to foot. Billy is relieved but wants to find his dogs. While some of the hunters create a makeshift gurney on which to carry his grandfather back to camp, Billy and a few other hunters accompany the man to Billy’s dogs. Billy’s dogs are indeed covered with ice, so the hunters build a fire. They all volunteer to massage the dogs to restore circulation to their bodies. They note that the dogs walked in a continuous circle around the tree so they would not freeze to death during the night. Once the dogs are thawed, one of the hunters fires a shot, and the raccoon jumps from the tree. Billy’s dogs are alert; they attack the raccoon and kill it. This capture gives Billy four hides from this round of the competition and secures his win. The hunters return to camp and report that Billy has won the competition. Billy’s grandfather refuses to be transported home until he sees Billy receive the golden cup, so the head judge presents Billy with the award. The hunters also give him more than three hundred dollars in prize money, amassed through contributions from all the participating hunters. Billy gives the cash box to his father. Then the hunters carefully place Billy’s grandfather in a car so the doctor can drive him back to town and treat his swollen and injured foot. Billy and his father pack their supplies and hunting gear onto the wagon and drive home. Upon arriving in the yard, his sisters rush to greet him, having heard of his success. He gives the silver cup to two of his sisters, but he keeps the golden one for the youngest sister. His youngest sister, who has fallen in her rush to greet him, is overjoyed with the gift. Billy’s mother is moved to tears by his win. She informs his father that his grandfather’s foot is only sprained and that it is expected to heal quickly. Relieved to hear this news, Billy’s father gives her the box of money. She sees the gift as an answer to her prayers, and she prepares a special celebratory meal for her family, which they enjoy together. Later that night, Billy watches as his mother goes into the yard, feeds his dogs, and kneels to pray in front of their little dog house. Chapter 19 Summary After winning the hunting competition, Billy and his hounds fall back into their normal routine. At night, they hunt in the woods near his home. A few weeks after the competition, Billy is hunting with his hounds when they begin to stalk an unusual animal. Based on the animal’s activity, Billy soon realizes they are not stalking a raccoon. He assumes they are chasing a bobcat, but he is terrified to discover that the animal is a mountain lion. Old Dan is staunchly determined to keep the powerful animal treed, and the mountain lion is irritated by the chase. Billy cautiously approaches the tree, hoping to seize Old Dan’s collar and lead him away from the deadly cat. Before he can reach him, the cat attacks. Old Dan and Little Ann begin fighting for their lives. Billy realizes they are no match for the powerfully vicious animal. In an effort to save his hounds, Billy readies his ax to strike the cat. He rushes into the fight and begins hacking away at the mountain lion. When the mountain lion realizes Billy is striking it with an ax, it turns its fierce gaze upon him. The mountain lion springs into the air to attack Billy. Instantly, his hounds leap between him and the cat, saving Billy from being mauled. Again the mountain lion and the hounds engage in deadly Chapter 18 Summary 20 battle. Billy knows the mountain lion will likely kill his dogs. Therefore, he retrieves his ax and chops the mountain lion in the head, finally killing it. The fight is over, and Billy examines his dogs for injuries. Little Ann’s wounds are superficial, but Old Dan’s injuries are serious. Leaving his lantern and his ax, he rushes home and awakens his parents. They are alarmed by his report. His mother carefully attends to Old Dan’s wounds, then Billy helps his mother treat Little Ann’s cuts and scratches. Shortly after receiving medical attention, Old Dan dies. His injuries were too severe to admit recovery. When his dog dies, Billy is inconsolable. He feels embittered and cannot bring himself to pray. Unable to sleep, he sits near the fire alone. Then he hears Little Ann outside the door. She was so accustomed to sleeping next to Old Dan that she cuddled up next to his dead body. This loving act overwhelms Billy; he runs to the riverside and cries for hours. The next day, Billy chooses a lovely hillside location, digs a grave, and buries Old Dan. Two days later, Billy’s mother informs him that Little Ann refuses to eat. Billy searches for his dog and finds her and force-feeds her. Still, she is unresponsive. On the next day, Billy finds her lying next to Old Dan’s grave. She is dead. Billy is heartbroken. His mother finds him sitting next to the grave and encourages him to pray. He rejects the suggestion, explaining that his loss is too great. When his response moves his mother to tears, he apologizes. She convinces him to accompany her home for dinner because his father wants to talk to him. Then she helps him cover Little Ann’s body with leaves until he can bury her properly. After dinner, Billy’s father informs the children that the family will soon be moving to town. He explains that the contest award money, the sale of Billy’s hides, and his family’s savings are finally enough for the family to move. The children will finally be able to go to school. Billy is unmoved by the news. He still grieves for his hounds and he cries himself to sleep. The next day, Billy buries Little Ann next to Old Dan. He finds a block of stone in the woods and uses it to make a grave marker for his dogs. Chapter 20 Summary In the spring after Billy’s hounds died, his family prepares to move to town. His entire family is excited, but his mother is excited more than the others are. Billy’s father is more animated than he has ever been. Once everything is packed and loaded, Billy asks his father if he can visit his dogs’ graves once more before he leaves. His father consents. When Billy reaches the gravesite, he is astounded to find a beautifully luxuriant red fern growing between the two graves. He remembers an Indian legend he had heard as a child. The story concerns the disappearance of two small children. According to the legend, the children died in a blizzard. Their bodies were discovered during the spring thaw with a beautiful red fern growing between them. The legend says that red ferns were only planted by angels and grew on sacred ground. Billy thinks the presence of the red fern is miraculous. Billy yells for his mother; she and the rest of the family run up the hill to him. They, too, are startled by the sight of the red fern and believe that it signals sacred ground. His mother tells him she has never seen a red fern before. His sisters believe the plant was placed between the graves by an angel. Billy’s father suggests that God placed the red fern between the graves to help Billy cope with the loss of his dogs. Billy agrees with his father, stating that he finally understands and accepts the deaths. Chapter 19 Summary 21 Billy’s family leaves the graves to return to the wagon and give Billy more time alone. Billy takes one final glance at the graves and notices that both of them are covered with beautiful mountain flowers. He imagines that the blossoms are dancing in the slight breeze that flows in from the mountain. Before he leaves, he removes his hat and says a final good-bye to his dogs. In Billy’s final expressions of love to his dogs, he assures them that he loves them. He tells them that God will reward them with eternal life in heaven and that he will never forget them. Then he slowly makes his way down the hillside and rejoins his family. As his family drives away, he looks back toward their old home. He sees Samie, the cat who ran away after consistently becoming ensnared in his trap, tramp through the abandoned yard. His gaze covers the entire farm until his mother interrupts his solitude to tell him the red fern is still visible from this distance. Billy turns his head and sees the red fern beautifully decorating the hillside. The memories prompted by the hound Billy rescued in the streets conclude. Now an adult, he indicates that he has never returned to the Ozarks since moving to town decades ago. He longingly suggests that he would love to return to the area and recapture the feelings of his childhood. He states that he would enjoy walking the old woods, looking for his abandoned lantern and ax, and recalling his many adventures with his very special hounds. Where the Red Fern Grows: Setting Where the Red Fern Grows is set in the Ozark Mountains on Cherokee land in northeastern Oklahoma during the Great Depression. Billy Coleman's father farms the land. His grandfather, a driving force and constant source of encouragement to Billy, runs a country general store and mill. The store is a gathering place for the area's racoon hunters. Their home is nestled deep in the heart of nature. [The house] was in a beautiful valley far back in the rugged Ozarks. The country was new and sparsely settled. The land we lived on was Cherokee land, allotted to my mother because of the Cherokee blood that flowed in her veins. It lay in a strip from the foothills of the mountains to the banks of the Illinois River in northeastern Oklahoma. The land was rich, black, and fertile . . . [The log house was] nestled at the edge of the foothills in the mouth of a small canyon, and was surrounded by a grove of huge red oaks. This rural setting provides a safe place for Billy to explore, run free, hunt, learn responsibility, and learn about love. Rawls creates a mood of protectiveness on the part of his mother, and freedom for Billy. Billy and his family are enveloped in a haven of love and respect for each other and for their neighbors, God, and His creation. The Colemans take pride in who they are. It is a poor home in material things but rich in love and understanding in relation to the desires and yearnings of a young boy. Where the Red Fern Grows: Themes and Characters This is a story about a young boy coming of age during the Great Depression. He develops from a young boy, fairly restricted to home and the immediate farm area, to a young teen allowed to roam the river bottoms, hills, and mountainous terrain surrounding his home. He leaves the protection of parental decisions and supervision to make life and death decisions affecting the lives of his dogs, the Pritchard boys, and himself. Chapter 20 Summary 22 A constant theme is determination or hard work and that a man who helps himself will get what he wants. This quality is first seen when Billy decides to save all the money he can earn to buy his coon pups and is demonstrated by his willingness to work in a variety of creative ways. For two years he catches worms and crawfishes, picks berries, harvests vegetables to sell, and hires himself out for any odd job he can to earn the money. Billy's grandfather tells him that determination and willpower are good for any boy to have and that is what it takes for Billy to realize his dream. A third theme developed in Where the Red Fern Grows is love and devotion. A deep love of family is developed among the members of Billy's immediate family and with his grandpa Coleman. Billy has been taught respect for siblings and his elders. That respect exhibits itself in his evident love for his sisters, parents, and grandparents. His love and devotion expands to include two redbone coonhounds. He and his dogs become an inseparable team. Their love for him results in a fight to protect him from the attack of a mountain lion and the eventual death of Old Dan as the dog sacrifices himself for his master. The reader also witnesses a bond of "love" between the dogs as one refuses to live without the other. A fourth theme developed by Rawls is a mother's yearning for a better way of life for her children. Billy's mother prays for and seeks a way to improve the opportunities for her children. The reader is aware of her desire from the beginning of the story and follows the recurring theme through to the end as the family leaves their farm for a home in town where there are better opportunities. Billy Coleman is the ten-year-old protagonist of Where the Red Fern Grows. He is an obedient young boy growing up in a loving family with mother, father, and three younger sisters. He is a young boy consumed by a desire to hunt raccoons with his own pair of dogs, so consumed that he cannot sleep as he listens to the baying of the hounds in the surrounding hills at night. At the end of the story Billy is a completely fulfilled young man of fourteen. He has accomplished all he set out to do: earned the money for pups, trained them, hunted successfully, and earned the trust and respect of his family. He is a strong, courageous, wholesome young man. Mr. Coleman, Billy's father, is a man comfortable with himself. He has a good sense of humor with an easy smile. He has confidence in Billy and persuades his wife to loosen the apron strings that she would keep tied tightly. Mrs. Coleman, Billy's mother, is Cherokee Indian. She loves her family but is a bit overprotective. She refuses to see Billy as anything other than her little boy. Much to his embarrassment, she smothers him with kisses and tries to keep a tight rein on his activities. She is concerned for the welfare of all of her children and wants a better life for them than she has had. Billy's three sisters are all younger than him and stay close to home and mother. They idolize Billy. Grandpa Coleman owns a general store and mill. The reader is given the impression that he is a little better off financially than all of his neighbors. He is devoted to his grandchildren and Billy in particular. The two of them are a great deal alike in their love of dogs, hunting, and telling tales. Where the Red Fern Grows: Literary Qualities Rawls creates an exciting adventure and a captivating story of love, devotion, determination, and achievement through the use of aphorism (a brief statement of a truth or a principle), foreshadowing, and imagery. Billy, the protagonist and narrator, in a prolonged flashback, tells the story. More than fifty years have passed since his experiences as a young boy living in the Ozarks of northeast Oklahoma and his love affair with two special dogs. Rawls uses figurative language to paint a picture of the Ozark Mountains, the family farm, Where the Red Fern Grows: Themes and Characters 23 surrounding forests, and the customs and traditions of the region. The following examples show some of these descriptions. "Papa's words perked me up just like air does a deflated inner tube." "A big grinning Ozark moon had the countryside bathed in a soft yellow glow. The starlit heaven reminded me of a large blue umbrella, outspread and with the handle broken off." "By the time I had reached the river, every nerve in my body was drawn up as tight as a fiddlestring." "The next morning I went out to my doghouse. Scraping the snow away from the two-way door, I stuck my head in. It was as warm as an oven. I got my face washed all over by Little Ann. Old Dan's tail thumped out a tune on the wall." Rawls' use of foreshadow with the death of Rubin Pritchard prepares the reader for the death of Old Dan and Little Ann. Although Billy is truly unprepared to deal with the deaths and the intensity of his sorrow, he is prepared for his "real" grief by the accidental death of an unsavory acquaintance. Where the Red Fern Grows: Social Sensitivity In choosing the river bottoms of the Ozark Mountains as his setting, Rawls creates a sensitivity to rural life in the early part of the twentieth century. Where the Red Fern Grows not only tells a good tale, but this story also preserves the strong, proud, and determined spirit of the people of this place and time. Although the focus of the story is Billy Coleman and his devotion to his coon dogs, the story allows the reader, through Billy's eyes, to view the family structure, values, and customs present in this rural farming community. It is a virginal state with sparse settlements and few social institutions. Rawls' portrayal of life in the mountains is in direct contrast to the life of the average reader. An example of the contrast is seen when Billy goes to Tahlequah to pick up his dogs. He is stared at, laughed at, and called a hillbilly. Billy and his family are honest and simple people, down-to-earth people, and hard-working people. The fruits of their labors support them, making them self-sufficient individuals. This view of life is in direct contrast to the average reader's modern world where independence is touted but, in fact, we are much more dependent on each other because of our way of life. Young people can identify with the desire to own something that is all theirs, like Billy and his dogs. They can identify with Billy's desire to grow up, make decisions for himself, and move a little away from the protectiveness and restrictions of parents. Billy's attitude towards his parents and their authority over him may nudge young readers to examine their own lives and attitudes. Where the Red Fern Grows: Topics for Discussion 1. Billy talks about being a hunter from the time he could walk. What were you like as a very young child? How have your youthful dreams influenced who you are now? 2. Have you ever wanted something so much it affected your eating and sleeping habits? Explain. 3. Billy's grandfather says that determination is good for a boy to have. More than anything, Billy wants two redbone coonhounds to train for hunting. How does Billy acquire them? 4. Taking into account the Coleman family's financial position, would it have been easier for Billy to just give up? How does setting a goal and achieving that goal help a person grow and mature? How did it help Billy? 5. Billy's mother compares him to the young Daniel Boone. How is her comment an accurate description of him? 6. Trapping is a fully acceptable activity for Billy. What do people think of this activity where you live? Where the Red Fern Grows: Literary Qualities 24 7. Billy makes a big decision to walk to Tahlequah, thirty miles away, to get his dogs at the railroad depot. What kind of courage did this require? He left without telling his parents. What would they think happened when Billy was gone when morning came? What would your parents think? What would they do? 8. Rawls uses strong foreshadowing in chapter six. What do you think might happen? 9. Billy is thankful for his pups. Have you had circumstances come together to help you do something special or acquire something special? How did you feel? Compare your response of thankfulness with Billy's response of thankfulness. 10. Billy's mother worries about him hunting alone at night, even though he is nearly fourteen. His father understands he is growing up, but his mother wants to keep him a boy. How do your parents feel about you growing up? Compare your parents' feelings to Billy's parents' feelings. 11. The death of a young person is a terrible tragedy. Compare Billy's reaction to the death of Rubin Pritchard or the death of his dogs to the reaction of someone you know who has gone through a similar experience of loss. Perhaps you have experienced such loss. If so, can you talk about your reaction to that loss? 12. Billy feels strongly that he must keep his word with his dogs, that if they treed their first coon he would give it to them. What does Papa mean when he says, "If a man's word isn't any good, he's no good himself." 13. What would our society be like today if this code of ethics were still practiced? What would your school, community, and family be like if this code of ethics were practiced? 14. Billy and his dogs become champion hunters. Outline the process Billy, Little Ann, and Old Dan went through to become champions. 15. How did Billy's attitude and character change as he experienced trials and success? What is the evidence of these changes? 16. Billy and his family leave the farm and move to town following the death of his dogs. Compare Billy's life on the farm with his new life in town. What would life in town have been like for Old Dan and Little Ann? Was it good that they did not live to move to town? Explain. 17. Billy truly loves his grandpa and believes he has the best grandpa in the whole world. Describe your relationship with a "best" grandpa, grandma, aunt, uncle, or someone really important in your life. Compare that person to Billy's grandpa. 18. What have you learned about these topics from reading Where the Red Fern Grows: love, devotion, perseverance, family, faith, friendship? 19. Explain this statement as it relates to Where the Red Fern Grows: This story is fiction, but it is true. Where the Red Fern Grows: Ideas for Reports and Papers 1. Rawls writes a beautiful description of Billy's home in chapter two. Make a collage using pictures from magazines that illustrate his description. Display your finished piece. 2. Find out about steel traps, the kind Billy used. Talk to a hunter/trapper who has traps. Video tape a demonstration of how to set and spring a trap. Interview the trapper to learn how he prepares traps, sets his Where the Red Fern Grows: Topics for Discussion 25 trapping lines, prepares pelts, and markets them. Share your work with classmates. 3. Make a display of dogs who are hunting breeds. Include the redbone coonhound Billy wanted. 4. Billy saved for two full years to accumulate fifty dollars, the cost of two coon pups. Find the average cost of two coon pups today. What money-making activities could a ten-year-old do today to earn money? Make a list of them and what you think could be earned by each. How long would it take to acquire the needed money? 5. Billy hunts the river bottoms of his home. Find his home on a map. Use the Internet, encyclopedias, library books, or travel literature to learn about the Ozarks and the Cherokee lands. Share your information with your classmates. 6. Billy was a coon hunter. Write a paper on the regulations for coon hunting today. List the regulations for coon hunting gleaned from Where the Red Fern Grows. Compare and contrast present day regulations to those of the early twenties. 7. Work with a friend and prepare an interview on the social issues and public sensitivities surrounding coon hunting, or perhaps any kind of hunting, today. Prepare questions to which you find answers. Role play. One of you is the interviewer and the other the hunter being interviewed. You may audio tape or video tape your interview to share with classmates. 8. Billy believes in God and prayer. List the occasions when Billy prays, asking for help. Beside each petition write the outcome/answer to his prayers. 9. Grandpa owns and operates a general store and mill. What is his store like? Do we have anything like this today? Research merchandising at this time in history. Sears Roebuck Catalog has reprinted their old catalogs and you can sometimes find them in libraries where they are considered resources. Many people living in rural and/or remote places used the catalog and placed "mail-order requests" to get a variety of items needed for everyday living. How are general stores and the Sears Roebuck Catalog alike? 10. In chapter eighteen, Mr. Kyle said people call it loyalty when a dog lays down his life for his master, but he calls it love. What do you think about a dog showing love? Respond to what the gentleman said about love in the hearts of men and the kind of world this would be. 11. Billy enjoyed the company of his grandfather and the wisdom he shared with him. Interview an older relative or friend. What gems of wisdom can they share with you? Write a short paper about that person and talk about the influence he or she has in your life. Where the Red Fern Grows: Related Titles / Adaptations The novel, Where the Red Fern Grows was adapted to film by Doty-Dayton Production in 1974. Starring in the film were James Whitmore as Billy's grandpa and a young Stewart Peterson of Cokesville, Wyoming, as ten-year-old Billy. The film was directed by Norman Tokar. The movie captures the warmth and spirit of an Oklahoma family and the two beautiful coon dogs who joined their lives. The movie is a visual masterpiece recalling the boyhood days of the ambitious Woodrow Wilson Rawls. A video of Where the Red Fern Grows, Part Two, released in 1992, features Wilford Brimley and Doug McKeon. In this continuation of the classic novel, Billy returns from WWII to his grandfather's home and tries to readjust to civilian life. However, the killing he witnessed in the war, along with the loss of a leg, have embittered him. It is through the gift of two puppies and a new friend that Billy rediscovers himself. Where the Red Fern Grows: Ideas for Reports and Papers 26 Where the Red Fern Grows has been recorded on two audiocassettes by Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing Group, read by Richard Thomas, 1989. Listening Library produced one read-along audiocassette as part of the "Young Adult Cliffhangers Series" in 1984. It includes a book and teacher's guide. Frank Muller read the text for an unabridged reading of Where the Red Fern Grows in 1995. It was recorded on six audiocassette tapes by Recorded Books. An unabridged edition read by Anthony Heald was recorded on six audiocassette tapes in 1995 by Listening Library. A second set by Anthony Heald on seven audiocassette tapes was produced by Books on Tape in 1996. A third set of six of audiocassette tapes by Anthony Heald was recorded by Chivers North America in 1997. Summer of the Monkeys was released in video format in 1998 by Buena Vista Home Video. Directed by Michael Anderson, it features Corey Seiver, Michael Ontkean, Wilford Brimley, Leslie Hope, and Katie Stuart. In his book Summer of the Monkeys, fourteen- year-old Jay Berry Lee, a happy, carefree boy roaming the Oklahoma Ozark river bottoms finds twenty-nine monkeys in a tree. Like Billy in Where the Red Fern Grows Jay has a dog, runs the river bottoms, and has a family with a dire need for money (this time for an operation for the boy's sister). With advice from his grandpa, Jay sets out to claim the reward offered for the capture and safe return of the monkeys, which have escaped from a traveling circus. Themes of strong family values, hard work, devotion, and respect for one's elders are central to this tale, as they were to Where the Red Fern Grows. Where the Red Fern Grows: For Further Reference Breckenridge, Kit. "Modern Classics." School Library Journal (April, 1988): 42-43. Article about Where the Red Fern Grows. Engle, Paul. Review of Where the Red Fern Grows. New York Times Book Review (September 8, 1974): 38. Positive review of Where the Red Fern Grows. Holtz, Sally Holmes, editor. Sixth Book of Junior Authors & Illustrators. New York: H.W. Wilson Company, 1989, pp. 241-42. Contains biographical information and an author photo. Magill, Frank N., editor. Masterplots II Juvenile and Young Adult Fiction Series, vol. 4. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, 1991, pp. 1616-19. Essay describing the plot, themes, meanings, and context of Where the Red Fern Grows. McCoy, Jody. Review of Summer of the Monkeys. Voice of Youth Advocates (October, 1992): 230. Miller, Frances A. "Books To Read When You Hate To Read." Booklist (February 15, 1992): 1100-1. An article that includes Rawls as an author of high-interest books. "Rawls, Woodrow Wilson." In Authors and Books for Young People, 3rd edition. Meruchen, New Jersey: Scarecrow Press, 1990, p. 583. Rawls is included in this collection of authors for young people. " Rawls, Woodrow Wilson." In Authors in the News, vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1976, p. 387 Review of Where the Red Fern Grows. Library Journal (February 1, 1961): 612-13. A review of Woodrow Wilson Rawls' book about a boy and his two coon dogs. Silvey, Anita, editor. Children's Books and Their Creators. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin Company, 1995, p. 551. Short biographical sketch and critical review of Rawls' two books. Where the Red Fern Grows: Related Titles / Adaptations 27 Williamson, Michael M., and Susan H. Williamson. "Stalking the Elusive Prey." School Library Journal (September, 1984): 47-48. Review of Where the Red Fern Grows. "Woodrow Wilson Rawls." In Authors & Artists for Young Adults, vol. 21. Edited by Thomas McMahon. Detroit: Gale, 1997, pp. 171-75. Contains biographical information including a "sidelights" essay in which Rawls describes re-writing Where the Red Fern Grows after burning the original manuscript. Includes a photograph of Rawls and reprints of the book jackets for Where the Red Fern Grows and Summer of Monkeys. "Rawls, (Woodrow) Wilson." In Something about the Author, vol. 22. Edited by Anne Commire. Detroit: Gale, 1981, pp. 205-206. Biographical sketch of Rawls with a photograph of the author. Love, Madelaine. "Woodrow Wilson Rawls." http://pac.eils.lib.id.us/rawls.html (December 4, 2000). Established as part of the "Woodrow Wilson Rawls: Dreams Can Come True" research project funded by the Idaho Humanities Council and the Idaho Falls Public Library. Includes a variety of biographical and critical information, including a photo album, a personal message from the author, a bibliography, and interviews with Rawls' widow and others who knew him. Copyright Where the Red Fern Grows: For Further Reference 28
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