This is Jody’s Fawn

This is Jody’s Fawn
                                                      By Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

Analysis: 

·      This chapter ‘This is Jody’s Fawn’ is written by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, an American author who lived in rural Florida and wrote novels and stories with rural themes and settings.

·      The chapter promotes kindness and care for animals and other creatures.

·      It describes the life of animals, their habitat, behaviour and needs beautifully and impactfully.

·      It depicts that the relationship between a human and an animal can also be so beautiful.

·      The character of Jody is adorable and admirable as he is quite sensitive as well as sensible.

·      The story gives a strong message that we need to be kind and compassionate towards animals and other creatures. We must also take up the responsibility of our actions the way Jody did. He brought the little fawn home as the mother of fawn was killed to save the life of his father.

Summary

Jody’s father Penny Baxter was bitten by a rattle-snake. He quickly killed a doe and used the doe’s heart and liver to draw out the poison. Jody saw that the doe’s baby, little fawn, was left alone.

The thought of fawn kept haunting Jody’s mind. He quietly went to his father’s bed side and asked him to allow him to bring the fawn home. Jody wanted to raise it.

At first Penny was in a dilemma. Jody argued that raising the fawn would not be a burden. Fawn could drink Jody’s milk until he started eating leaves and acorns. Jody also said that his family was responsible for the fawn’s plight. Penny agreed as it would be ungrateful to leave the fawn to starve. He asked him to seek his mother’s permission before bringing the fawn in. The mother was taken aback and quite unwilling when Jody talked of bringing the fawn home. Mother felt helpless but finally she gave her permission for pity’s sake.

Dr. Wilson told Jody’s mother that nothing in the world comes quite free. He meant that they must pay price by raising the fawn, for having taken its mother’s life. Mill-wheel offered to take Jody on his horse to the forest. He made Jody sit behind him on the horse. Mill-wheel asked Jody how he knew that the fawn was male. Jody said that the spots on the fawn were all in a line, indicating that the fawn was male.

Reaching near the clearing Jody asked Mill-wheel to go back he wanted to be alone when he would find the fawn for two reasons. He would not like Mill-wheel to see his disappointment if he could not find fawn. Secondly, if he met the fawn, he would not like to share his emotions with anyone else. Mill-wheel was however afraid to leave Jody alone. Jody however insisted saying that he would be careful. So, Mill-wheel went back.

Jody came to the carcass of the doe surrounded by buzzards. The fawn was not found nearby. He took a round of clearing. After a while, there was some movement directly in front of him. Jody was overjoyed to see his fawn. It was shaking but it didn’t try to rise or run.

Jody laid his hand on the fawn’s soft neck. He was very happy to feel it. Jody lifted the fawn very softly. He feared that the sight of its mother’s carcass might agitate the swan. So he avoided the clearing and went through the bushes, carrying the fawn in his arms. He reached the trail and then he came to the road that could take him home. Now he stopped to rest and put the fawn down. It bleated and looked at Jody. He started slowly. The fawn didn’t move. So he came back to pick him. He went ahead carrying the fawn in his arms. He reached the gate of his home and went straight his father’s bed with the fawn. His father was glad that Jody had found what he wanted.

Jody offered the milk to the fawn. The milk was in the gourd. The fawn could not drink it. Then Jody dipped his fingers in the milk and thrust them into the fawn’s soft mouth. The fawn drank the milk greedily. Then he lowered his fingers into the gourd. The fawn started drinking from the gourd now.

Message:

The story gives a strong message that we need to be kind and compassionate towards animals and other creatures. We must also take up the responsibility of our actions the way Jody did. He brought the little fawn home and took care of it so lovingly in order to compensate the absence of its mother because he found it his responsibility as the mother of the fawn was killed to save the life of his father.

Character Sketch Jody Baxter:

The character of Jody is so adorable and admirable. In such a small age he understands his responsibility as well as the needs of the fawn. He understands that ‘we must pay for our sins and correct our mistakes’.

He is quite sensitive to understands that the little fawn needs care and love in the absence of its mother. Equally sensible he is as he understands that all must also take up the responsibility of their actions. He realises that the fawn is his and his family’s responsibility as its mother was killed to save his father’s life.

He is very kind and compassionate He takes care of fawn so lovingly, gets him milk, teaches him how to drink milk from a container and move in the house. He also ensures that the fawn finishes the milk as the animal didn’t know how to drink from a pot.

RTC

“That’s right, Ma’am. Nothing in the world comes quite free. The boy’s right and his daddy’s right.”

Q1. What does the speaker convey, here?

Q2. Who is the speaker in the above line and who is being spoken to?

Q3. What price does the speaker talk about?

Q4. What message is conveyed, here?