What is the message of Where the Red Fern Grows?

Love 1: Billy has worked for two long years saving every penny so that he could buy the things he has wanted for a long time - two redbone hunting hounds. He finally saves enough money and walks on foot to pick his dogs up in Tahlequah. When he arrives at the depot and sees his pups for the first time, it is too much for Billy to handle. All of his hard work has finally paid off and he can hardly believe it is true. He spent so many long days dreaming about having dogs of his own and now he finally does. He does not know what to do except to cry out of utter happiness.

Love 2: On their way home from Tahlequah, Billy and his dogs have to sleep in a cave. The sound of a mountain lion frightens Billy and his dogs. He builds a fire to keep the lion away. Billy feels very defensive and is willing to do anything to protect the pups he has worked so hard to get. He even says he is willing to die for them.

Love 3: Billy has spent the entire summer training his dogs for the upcoming hunting season. He has gotten to know their every move and they have gotten to know Billy's every move as well. They follow Billy around everywhere he goes. Billy and his dogs have a very special connection. They understand each other even though they speak completely different languages. Billy understands them just by their eyes or their wagging tails and they understand Billy. It is a unique and special bond.

Love 4: During one of the dogs' hunts, they chase a coon up the biggest sycamore tree in the entire river bottom. Billy doesn't think he can chop it down, but he tries anyway. It takes him two days of backbreaking work to cut the tree down, but he doesn't give up because of the promise he made to his dogs. He promised them that if they treed a coon, then he would do the rest and chop it down. He will not go back on his word to his dogs. He cares about their relationship and his promise too much to go back on his word.

Love 5: Sometimes Billy hangs out at Grandpa's store. When the other hunters are there, Billy and the hunters exchange tales about their hunting adventures. Every now and then the hunters make fun of Old Dan and Little Ann. They say that Billy's dogs are small and that Little Ann isn't half as smart as Billy says she is. Hearing negative remarks about his dogs greatly offends Billy. He says that it makes his blood boil. His anger is a direct result of how much love he feels for his dogs. He worked too hard and cares too much about his dogs to not let someone's mean comments offend him.

Love 6: During one the dogs' hunts, Little Ann falls into the frozen river. Billy sees she is in desperate trouble. He takes off his clothes, wades into the frozen water, and hooks her collar with his lantern wire. He pulls her out and is thankful that she is ok. Billy loves his dog too much to just let her die in the water. He goes so far as to risk his own life to save the life of his dog.

Love 7: Billy leaves Grandpa's store after Grandpa has just told him about the championship coon hunt that Billy is going to participate in with his dogs. Billy is on top of the world. He thinks back to all the wonderful things that have happened to him over the past two years of his life and he is so thankful for all of them. He thinks about getting his dogs, how lucky he is to have his Mama, Papa, and three sisters, how lucky he is to have Grandpa, and now to be entered in a championship coon hunt. It is all too much for him to take and he says that his heart is bursting with happiness.

Love 8: The dogs begin their first night of hunting during the championship coon hunt. They catch two coons and are soon barking treed for a third coon. However, when they get to the tree, they see that there is no coon. The coon seems to have pulled a trick on the dogs. Papa, Grandpa, and the judge tell Billy to give up and move on to another area to hunt, but Billy refuses. The love and faith he has in his dogs make him confidant that they will catch the coon. Billy stands by his dogs and they eventually catch the coon.

Love 9: During the final night of hunting at the championship coon hunt, a bad storm approaches. Old Dan and Little Ann get lost in the storm. Papa, Grandpa, and the judge want to leave and find their way back to the buggy, but Billy refuses. He would never leave his dogs out in a storm by themselves. He loves them too much to just leave them out in the cold. He says that if he has to look for his dogs by himself, then he will do just that, but he will not leave them.

Love 10: Old Dan and Little Ann stay by the tree all night, so the coon won't escape. Even though they got covered in ice from head to toe from the ice storm, they did not give up. Somehow they knew that Billy needed one more coon to win the championship hunt. Everyone is impressed with Billy's dogs. Mr. Kyle says that people have been trying to understand dogs for years. He says the only way to explain Old Dan and Little Ann's behavior is love, for dogs have a special kind of love for their masters - the deepest kind.

Love 11: Billy is out hunting with his dogs one night and instead of treeing a coon, they end up treeing a mountain lion. Old Dan and Little Ann get into a terrible fight with the lion and the dogs are badly hurt. At one point, the lion is about to go after Billy. In an instant, Old Dan and Little Ann jump right in between the lion and Billy, saving Billy's life. Billy is so thankful for his dogs, for their love and loyalty. He knows he will never be able to repay them for what they did for him, but he will never forget it or them.

In Wilson Rawls novel, Where the Red Fern Grows, several underlying themes construct a timeless, American classic. The themes of determination, love, and sacrifice each come together to impact the audience in an emotional way. In the novel, the author presents a young boy who is determined to own two hound dogs. Additionally, Billy demonstrates love and sacrifice when he is cared for his two beloved dogs. Billy, who is just a small boy, shows a sense of selfless sacrifice and love and exudes a strong sense of determination to obtain the hound dogs. The author shows that through determination, anyone can achieve their goals and persevere.

Determination can be defined as a characteristic of being consistent and not even considering “failing” as an option. The theme of determination, prevalent throughout the novel, began when Billy became interested in hound dogs. Billy was eager to save enough money to purchase the dogs and was willing to work any job he got offered. After two years of hard work, Billy finally saved enough money to buy two hound dogs. Not only was Billy determined to acquire the dogs, he was also determined to show them loyalty and love. “During the dogs’ first hunting trip, a raccoon sprints up and hides in a big sycamore tree”. “Due to the ginormous size of the tree, Billy wanted to give up and forget about the raccoon”. “He then starts to tell his dogs that there’s nothing that can be done; however, he changed his mind when he saw the dog’s sad expression”. These quotes demonstrate how much Billy truly cared for his dogs. He did not want them to put themselves in any type of danger where they could get hurt. In addition to Billy, the dogs also demonstrated determination. Rawls writes, “My hounds made no move to follow. They started whining. Old Dan reared up, placed his front paw on the trunk, and started bawling. Little Ann came to me. She reared up and started licking my hands”. This quote shows that Old Dan and Little Ann were not going to let any obstacles stand in the way of the raccoon.

Another example determination of determination is through Billy’s grandfather. He helps Billy by pushing him along the way. Rawls writes, “’Hello! How are you gettin’ along?’ he boomed. ‘Not so good, Grandpa,’ I said. ‘I don’t think I can cut it down. It’s just too big. I guess I’ll have to give up.’ ‘Give up!’ Grandpa barked. ‘Now I don’t want to hear you say that. No, sir, that’s the last thing I want to hear. Don’t ever start anything you can’t finish’”. To show his dogs and his grandfather his relentless determination, he decided to cut down the big sycamore tree. The author states, “With tears in my eyes, I looked again at the big sycamore. A wave of anger came over me. Gritting my teeth, I said, ‘I don’t care how big you are, I’m not going to let my dogs down. I told them if they put a coon in a tree I would do the rest and I’m going to. I’m going to cut you down. I don’t care if it takes me a whole year’”. Because the dogs witnessed Billy’s determination, they were able to exhibit determination in their lives and actions. Billy is guided by his Grandpa’s advice and willingness to not let him give up, which shows in the novel how determination is a characteristic that has been passed down from generation to generation in the boy’s family. Billy not only shows determination, but he shows a great sense of love.

Billy first showed his immensely strong love for his hounds when they were travelling back from Tahlequah and heard a mountain lion. Billy felt very defensive over his hounds, so he built a fire to keep the mountain lion aw. Rawls writes, “I was ready to die for my dogs” (48). Billy would do anything for his dogs, even if it meant putting his own life in danger. The theme of love was not only exhibited in Billy, but in his family too. Billy and his sisters did not grow up with a lot of opportunities, such as education, so in order for them to have a better life, they were forced to move. Billy’s father worked extremely hard to earn enough money to move him and his family into town, so they can have a chance for a better life. The author writes, “In a sober voice my father said, “Some day you may have to live in town. Your mother and I don’t intend to live in these hills all our lives. It’s no place to raise a family. A man’s children should have an education. They should get out and see the world and meet people’”. Billy’s mom also shows a great amount of care and love for Billy. Rawls states, “Mama said in a low voice, ‘I’ll pray every day and night for that day to come. I don’t want you children to grow up without an education, not even knowing what a bottle of soda pop is, or ever seeing the inside of a schoolhouse. I don’t think I could stand that. I’ll just keep praying and some day the good Lord may answer my prayer’”. His parents exhibited love when they moved houses to provide a better future for their children. They thought not primarily about themselves, but for the good of their children. While the theme of love was portrayed frequently throughout the novel, the theme of sacrifice is similarly shown.

Contributing to the themes of love and determination, the theme of sacrifice is evident throughout the novel by a variety of characters. At the beginning of the novel, Billy is willing to make a big sacrifice. Rawls writes, “After thinking it over, I figured out a way to help. Even though it was a great sacrifice, I told Papa I had decided I didn’t want tow hounds. One would be enough”. The main character realized that he would be putting his family in a rough spot if he asked for two dogs, so he altered his plans to accommodate for his family. This is a big sacrifice taken by such a young child. Billy also sacrifices his time to make sure he gets a raccoon skin in order to train his dogs how to hunt. Rawls writes, “All through that summer and into the late fall the training went on”. Billy could have used his time for himself, but he instead used it to help out Old Dan and Little Ann. Sacrifice is also shown through Billy’s dogs, Old Dan and Little Ann, who puts their lives on the line for Billy in a fight against a mountain lion. Rawls writes, “Hearing a noise from the bed, I looked back. The girl pup, hearing the commotion, had gotten up and joined the boy dogs. They were sitting side by side with their bodies stiff and rigid. Their beady little eyes bored into the darkness beyond the cave. The moist tips of their little black noses wiggled and twisted as if trying to catch a scent”. This shows that Billy’s dogs were willing to risk themselves for their owner. Lastly, Billy’s dad helps Billy hunt rather than working around their farm. Rawls states, “The next day Papa had to go to the store. Late that evening I saw him coming back. As fast as I could, I ran to meet him, expecting a sack of candy. Instead he handed me three small steel traps. He showed me how to set them by mashing the spring down with my foot, and how to work the trigger”. Billy’s father cares so much about him that he would sacrifice his time and his opportunities to make money to help Billy with what he loves most, hunting. These examples of selfless sacrifices are what make up each character.

While there are many underlying themes in Where the Red Fern Grows, the themes of determination, love, and sacrifice are the most prominent. Billy, through hard work and determination, eventually owns two hound dogs. It is then that he shows his selfless sacrifice and fervent love for his dogs. Any person who reads this novel can take away 3 important messages: If you are determined and set your mind to a specific goal, you will achieve it, if you love you will receive love back, and sacrifices will lead to a promising outcome.