Where the Red Fern Grows

Billy loves coon hunting. Mama makes him a hat out of his first hide, later regretting it: “She wished she hadn’t made it for me because, in some way, wearing that cap must’ve affected my mind. I went coon crazy” (99). Billy and the dogs hunt every night, filling the barn wall with hides and selling them easily. Billy gives all his money to Papa; money is not why he does it. Pride and joy are his motivators.

Billy’s hounds go with him everywhere but Grandpa’s store, as other dogs try to fight Old Dan when he takes them there. Billy tries to trick them by sneaking out to sell the pelts, but the dogs eventually always find him on his way to the store. Billy often goes the store on Saturdays, when the other hunters gather to tell their tales. “I’d get right up in the middle and say my piece with the rest of them” (101). The other hunters joke about how small Billy’s hounds are, making his blood boil. He shuts them up by asking who has the most hides.

Little Ann and Old Dan’s personalities continue to emerge. Little Ann “could make friends with a tomcat” and is very sweet, playing with the chickens and young calves on the farm.