Okay, so we're not exactly talking poverty on a Charles Dickens level, but this family sure doesn't have much. What's weird is that, in Where the Red Fern Grows, poverty ends up seeming like a blessing. Poverty lets Billy grow up in an idyllic pastoral forest; poverty gives Billy the opportunity to learn all about hard work while figuring out how to get his dogs. Lucky him!
Questions About Poverty
- Is it an overstatement to say the Colman family is poor? If so, how would you characterize their financial situation?
- Aside from not having the money to initially buy the dogs, does being poor ever hold Billy back?
- Does Billy's poverty make him an underdog (no pun intended)?
- How are people with money portrayed in the novel?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
The novel depicts poverty positively, because it allows Billy to stay in the country longer and hunt with his dogs.
Billy's poverty makes him a more sympathetic character. Without it, we wouldn't be so interested in him.