The Yearling
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| The Yearling | |
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 Cover of original 1938 edition |
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| Author(s) | Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Young adult novel |
| Publication date | 1938 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 416 (Mass Market Paperback) |
| ISBN | NA |
| Preceded by | South Moon Under |
| Followed by | Cross Creek |
The Yearling is a 1938 novel written by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. It won the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel in 1939.
Rawlings's editor was Maxwell Perkins, who also worked with F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and other literary luminaries. She had submitted several projects to Perkins for his review, and he rejected them all. He instructed her to write about what she knew from her own life, and the result of her taking his advice was The Yearling.
The Yearling was the best-selling novel in America for the year 1938.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Jody Baxter lives with his parents, Ory and Ezra "Penny" Baxter, in the animal-filled central Florida backwoods at the end of the 19th Century. His parents had six other children prior to Jody, but they died in infancy which makes it difficult for Ma Baxter to bond with Jody. Jody loves the outdoors and loves his family. He has wanted a pet for as long as he can remember, yet his mother Ory says they only have enough food to feed themselves.
A subplot involves the hunt for an old bear named Slewfoot that randomly attacks the Baxter livestock. Later the Baxters and Forresters get in a fight about the bear, and continue to fight about nearly anything. The Forresters steal the Baxters' pigs and while Penny and Jody are out searching for their stolen pigs, Penny is bitten by a rattlesnake in the arm. Penny shoots a doe to use its liver to draw out the snake's poison. Penny recovers, but the doe leaves behind a fawn.
Jody adopts the fawn, whom he names Flag, and it becomes his constant companion. The story revolves around the life of Jody as he grows to adolescence along with the fawn. The plot also centers on the conflicts of the young boy as he struggles with strained relationships, hunger, death (of his childhood companion, Fodder-wing Forrester, due to sickness), and the capriciousness of nature through a catastrophic flood. Throughout, the Baxter family is in contrast to their uncouth neighbors the Forresters, and the Baxters' more refined relatives in the village of Volusia. Jody experiences tender moments with his family, his fawn, and their neighbors and relatives. Along with his father, he comes face-to-face with the rough life of a farmer and hunter.
As Jody takes his final steps into maturity, he is forced to make a desperate choice between his pet Flag and his family. The parents realize that the now-adult Flag is endangering their very survival, as he persists in eating the corn crop which the family is relying on for their food the next winter. Jody runs away after his mother attempts to kill Flag, shooting him in the leg. Jody is then forced to shoot Flag in the neck himself. In anger at his mother, Jody runs away, only to come face-to-face with the true meaning of hunger, loneliness, and fear. After a failed attempt to run away in a broken-down canoe, he is picked up by a mail ship and dropped off in Volusia. In the end, Jody returns home and assumes his role as the emerging caregiver to his family and their land.
[edit] Characters
- Ezra "Penny" Baxter: Father of Jody. Raised by a stern minister who allowed no leisure. Treats his son Jody generously because of his own childhood. Formerly in the army. Nicknamed "Penny" by Lem Forrester because of his diminutive size.
- Ory Baxter: Mother of Jody. Introduced in the book as "Ory." Often referred to as "Ma" or "Ma Baxter".
- Jody Baxter: The son of Ory and Penny Baxter.
- Flag: Jody's pet fawn.
- The Forresters:(Pa and Ma Forrester, Buck, Mill-Wheel, Arch, Lem, Gabby, Pack, Fodder-wing) A family that lives near the Baxters. There is a conflict between the two families.
- Fodder-wing Forrester: Jody's best friend. He is crippled and thought to be rather peculiar, but has a great fondness for animals.
[edit] Film, TV, or theatrical adaptations
The novel was adapted into a film in 1946, starring Gregory Peck as Ezra Baxter and Jane Wyman as Ory Baxter. Both were nominated for Oscars for their performances.
A Broadway musical adaption with music by Michael Leonard and lyrics by Herbert Martin was produced by The Fantasticks ' producer Lore Noto in 1965. The book was written for the stage by Lore Noto and Herbert Martin. David Wayne and Delores Wilson played Ezra and Ory Baxter, and David Hartman, later of Good Morning America, was Oliver Hutto. The song "Why Did I Choose You?" was successfully recorded by Barbra Streisand, but the show itself only played 3 performances.
A Japanese animated version (titled Kojika Monogatari) was released in 1983.
A 1994 television adaptation starred Peter Strauss as Ezra Baxter, Jean Smart as Ory Baxter, and Philip Seymour Hoffman as Buck.
[edit] Notes
Near Rawlings' home in Cross Creek, Florida is now a restaurant named after this book. The restaurant serves Southern food such as catfish and alligator tail, and regularly features live folk music played by local musicians.
