The Yearling
by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
Award: Pulitzer 1939
Date Read: July 18, 2011 & May 30, 2019
The Yearling is a coming-of-age tale about a boy, Jody, and his beloved fawn, Flag. Through his sheer devotion and love for his pet, Jody learns some harsh life lessons and has to confront the responsibility expected of him as he approaches manhood.
Jody and his father have a close relationship and his father tries to shield Jody from the harsh realities of life for as long as possible. His mother is not as soft or forgiving. Pa Baxter understands Jody's need to wander off and wallow in nature, as well as his lasting desire for a pet of his own. After much yearning, Jody finally is able to convince his parents that he should raise the fawn, Pa Baxter having killed its mother to save his own life from snakebite.
Jody finds comfort and pride in his fawn. The relationship between boy and animal sees him through some harrowing times - the uncertainty of his father's fate after snakebite, the devastation of Fodder-Wing's death and through the monotony and drudgery of a boy expected to perform like a man.
As Jody and the fawn grow up side-by-side, the necessities of subsistence overshadow the necessity of joy and Jody is faced with the hardest reality he can imagine - saying good bye to his beloved friend. Through this experience, Jody grows up and faces what it means to be hungry and how important a crop is to a family barely making ends meet.
As I read this through for a second time, I was surprised by how much I didn't appreciate it as much on the second go. Perhaps it's because I have been spending a great deal of time lately reading these late 30's/early 40's tales that are so bleak that my heart breaks for each of these families just trying to survive.
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