Navigating Early: Study Guide
Characters= (matching on the test)
Internal conflicts (Multiple Choice):
st
nd
Early: losing Fisher 1 and 2 time
Jackie: losing his mother and blaming himself; struggles with father; finding himself
Fisher: can’t come home because he is filled with guilt and sadness from the war
MacScott: guilt of having kill Martin by mistake
Mrs. Johannsen: not accepting her son’s death
Pi: losing his way in the catacombs/maze
External conflicts:
The boys’ boat is stolen by MacScott’s men.
Jack’s mom dies of an aneurism. Pi loses his family.
Fisher lost his men in war
Symbols:
Navigator ring: without it, Jack lost his way; Jack was always searching and trying figure out which path he should take.
The bear: represents a mother’s fierce love for her child; protection; Jack’s mom/Pi’s mom
Seashell necklace: represents Pi’s home and where he came from
Dog tags: represent the hero Fisher really is; they represent his service, loyalty, duty, and honor
The Maine: represents adventure/journey; Fisher (he goes out on adventure, gets lost, and is found…returns home).
Earl’s jellybeans: represent order and peace; Early organizes them to solve problems or calm down.
The stars: they represent our true desires and dreams; they guide us on our journey; they light the way; you see what you want to
see in the stars; constellations=connect stars…people are connected like the stars.
The red flower teacup: Jack’s memory of his mother (it broke but he still carries it because he remembers her always). The flower is
the connection between all of the characters
Pi: represents a parallel life between Jack, Early, and Fisher; Pi’s journey and lessons are also experienced by the boys. Pi is a number
whose story is told through a series of numbers that represent colors, textures, etc.
The maze: feeling lost, lonely; searching for a place to belong
The Catacombs: loss, troubles
PLOT
Exposition: Jack’s mother dies unexpectedly, Jack moves to Morton Hill Academy; Dr. Stanton wants to prove that Pi ends. Jack gets
to know Early and is invited on a quest
Rising Actions: (small events/conflicts that lead to the climax)
+Jack and Early search for the bear on the Appalachian Trail.
+Jack and Early meet “pirates” that steal their boat.
+Jack falls in the river and is rescued by Gunnar. He cares for the boys and tells his story. He bears the guilt of killing a man in a fight.
He longs to be with his love, but he feels unworthy due to his guilt.
+Jack and Early get lost…Pi goes in circles in the maze.
+Jack and Early meet Mrs. Johannsen…Pi meets the Ancient One
+Jack and Early discover Martin…Pi discovers his family is gone.
+Jack and Early face MacScott in a hunt. Jack is bit by a snake. The bear rescues the boys. Early has a seizure.
Climax: Fisher finds Jack and Early and takes them to Mrs. Johannsen’s home. Jack experiences his mother through Mrs. Johannsen,
as she experiences her son. They both get to let go of the burdens they carried in talking to each other.
Fisher tells Early he is not the same and Early loses hope.Jack takes on the navigator role. He helps Early get through this loss.
Falling action:
+Jack and Early bury Mrs. Johannsen with her son and husband.
+Jack and Early head home; Jack explains to Early the Fisher just needs time in ‘empty space’ to heal. Jack begins to relate to Fisher.
Early relates Fisher to Jack’s father. Both boys learn something about their loved ones through each other. Early reveals to Jack how
Jack’s father showed his love in different ways like finishing the box car and organizing the sock chore; Jack reminds Early of the
darkness Pi faced in his journey, just as Fisher experienced in war.
+The boys discover the Maine in a shack.
+They arrive home/Jack’s father shows his love for his son.
+The boys go back to find Fisher & Jack’s dad talks to him in the right “language.”
+Fisher is taken to a hospital to recuperate and the boys visit often.
Resolution: Early proves Stanton wrong at the Math Institute by proof of contradiction.
Jack and his father reconnect. Jack asks him to build another boat…symbolizing a second chance/mending their relationship
Jack admits he and Early are friends. Jack has a strong respect for him and realizes how important Early was in helping Jack discover
who he really is...