The Light In The Forest
The Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter 1953 by Bantam Books
[image error]This is a book I was required to read in 8th grade. I know this because my name and 8B are written on the first page. My younger brother’s name is also written in the book and was required to read it.
I believe it was part of Ohio History since the setting is Ohio and the Delaware Indians. The story is about True Son who was kidnapped and raised by the Delaware Indians when he was four. He is 15 now. The soldiers have arrives to take all white captives back with them. He doesn’t want to go. His cousin Half Arrow and Little Crane, whose wife is white and being taken, follow at a distance. They say good-bye near Fort Pitt.
The story shows both ways of life. The Indian loves nature, hunting, and believes a man can’t own the and or possessions. True Son, whose name is Johnny, is reunited with his parents and little brother, Gordie, who adores him. He doesn’t like the clothes and work of the whites and spends the winter with them.
In the spring of 1765 Half Arrow and Little Crane arrive but Little Crane is killed and scalped by the white men, including True Son’s uncle. They nearly scalp him in revenge and flee. They return to the Delaware tribe but they want revenge for Little Crane’s death. True Son is told to stand in the river and lure a flatboat of whites near the bank where the Indians are waiting. He is willing to do it until he sees a young boy who reminds him of Gordie. He always believed Indians didn’t kill children but some of the men have already killed a child. He warns the whites. The Delaware warriors want to burn him as punishment but his father defends his life but says they will part ways and be enemies from that point on.
I don’t remember the lessons we were supposed to learn from this book, but it only brings up the lifestyles of each side, presenting them from True Son’s point of view. Neither side is portrayed as good or bad. They are at war, and True Son is caught in the middle. They force him to be white but neither side wants him. He is biracial without being biracial. He is being forced to live a certain way – white instead of any blending of cultures.
It shows how throughout history, we have separated people into different groups, often based on skin color, but also by culture instead of learning from each other and choosing the best of all cultures.
Do you remember reading this book or some other required reading in school? Have you read it again as an adult? Years of living can change your viewpoint.
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