The Yearling Duty Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #4

"It relieved him to care for the animals, to give them, for the time, the comfort that their master could never offer them again" (17.85)

When Fodder-wing dies, Jody has to decide for himself what his duty to his friend is, and in this case it's taking care of the animals. (When we die, we want our friends to erase all the embarrassing pictures of us on the Internet.)

Quote #5

"'This here is serious,' he said. 'I'm carryin' you with us to learn you. If you figger on frolickin', you kin stay home, too.'" (20.4)

Penny has dropped the carefree childhood bit, and is trying to teach Jody something about life. It's not an easy lesson to learn about eleven years of gallivanting around the wilderness.

Quote #6

"But he was coming in with meat that he had killed for the family" (20.222)

Boom. There's nothing like throwing down a haunch of bear on the table to make you feel like a grown-up. Having some responsibility to feed his family helps Jody grow up just a little bit faster.