Chapter: 16 MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN

Do you think it is possible to live like Sam does in the book?

Yes, it is possible. Particularly if you have a falcon. A falcon is the

perfect hunter. Plus, when we opened up America, we did that all

the time—lived off the land. That's how we crossed the country.

We didn't pack canned foods and frozen foods on ice!

Do you think that kids today still seek to conquer the wilderness?

What about computers? Would Sam have liked computers? Do you?

Well, there are always the kids who just love animals. Unfortunately,

though, people have become afraid of the outdoors. Parents

overprotect children now, when the best thing you can do for kids

is to get them a toad or a guinea pig, or even a cat. Something to

connect them to the natural world. So many parents don't have

the background anymore to teach their kids about nature and

how to conserve. So we are fast losing a connection. I think that's

why My Side of the Mountain seems like a myth!

But Sam would love a computer. In fact, if he got his waterwheel

going, maybe he could have one right on the mountain! No, he'd

probably go down to the library to use it. I love computers. I

think it is computers that are going to hold the world together.

You have said that, in 1959, your editor had trouble getting

permission to publish My Side of the Mountain. The publisher was

afraid of encouraging children to run away even with parental

approval. Did you receive criticism for this? How do you respond to it?In a last-ditch effort to get the book published, the editor said,

"Better that he runs to the country than the city, no?" And the

publisher finally agreed! But no, I never got criticism. Not until

very recently.

Now, I even get [criticism] from the kids. Some say no parent

would let their kid do this. And I say, look, this is a novel! Every

day I get e-mails from kids who want a tree—a world away from

the adult world. The vast majority of kids, boys and girls, really

like it.

How do you account for the actions of the adult characters in the

book? Why don't they turn Sam in?

There was an attitude at the time [the 1950s] that respected the

child. We've lost this. I was respected as a child. If I wanted to go

up on the roof and write poetry, that was okay. Maybe they

[Jean's parents] thought it was silly, but they said all right, go

ahead. Then, I learned it was too cold out there and I came

inside!

So the adult characters in the book trust Sam. [The grown-up

characters] realized he had an idea and they shouldn't turn him

in. But they did keep an eye on him. They saw he was doing fine.

Bando comes back—he never said he was there to check on

[Sam]. But, of course, that's why he was there.

You have also said that you felt strongly about illustrating your

own books, particularly the Sam Gribley books. Why?Because I lived it. You have to have been there to have it come

across not only in the words, but in the drawings. I have seen a

falcon fold her wings, dive, and kill dinner. That's why I am able

to make kids feel like they've been there. I want to get them on

scene. I can do that because I've really been there myself.

When you wrote My Side of the Mountain, did you know it would

be the first of a series? Was it satisfying to continue the story—to

write about what happened to Sam and his family as they started

their new life?

I had an aversion to series, so I had no intention of writing

another. I thought one book was enough. But after about twenty

years, my editor convinced me that kids wanted more, so I finally

wrote the sequel, and then a third one. And the kids were

satisfied. In fact, they still want more!

What is your writing process?

I take notes when I camp or hike. Look up things in field guides.

Talk to scientists. But I always write the stories at home.

Otherwise, I'm too involved in the immediate. If I sit in the woods

and start writing, it slows down the process. I come home to

write, to keep the story going. I write the stories in my head while

I wash dishes and do other chores.

You have said that you use nature guides to inform your writing.

But what about fiction? What other kinds of books do you read?

What did you read as a child?I read primarily fiction as a child. I loved Mark Twain, Charles

Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe. My mother was a reader and read to

us. But now, I really thoroughly enjoy reading nature guides and

scientific journals. I find them fascinating. I see stories in them.

Did you always know you'd be a writer? What else did you

consider as a career?

We were always storytellers in my family. We used to sit around

the table telling each other real-life stories. I loved to do this, but

I never thought I would be a writer. That's why I became an

artist, a dancer, a canoeist, and a swimmer. Then finally a writer.

What can you tell aspiring young writers about life as a writer?

You have to like to be alone. Writing can be lonely, although you

do populate your head with all these characters. You have to

write every day. I kept diaries—every day. And you have to love

it. In life, you just have to look for something you enjoy. It's hard

to do a job well if you don't like it a lot.

What do you like most about writing for children?

I like children because they just love nature. It's so much fun to

have an audience that's so receptive and fresh. I still remember

all my childhood books. I forget the novels I've read as an adult,

but I remember those first books. They're very important.My Side of the Mountain is the fictional story of Sam

Gribley's survival alone in the wilderness. The story is

told from Sam's point of view and includes journal entries, notes,

and drawings. Sam keeps an account of what happens to him

when he leaves his home in New York City to live on his own in

the Catskill Mountains in New York State.

We first meet Sam in the middle of a treacherous snowstorm. He

is holed up in a tree he describes as his home. He has not been

outdoors in days. Slowly, Sam reveals the circumstances that led

him to his tree house.

Sam has had enough of the crowded, busy life he lives with his

family of eleven people in the big city of New York. He wants a

simpler, quieter life. Sam tells his parents that he plans to leave

the city and live in the Catskill Mountains. He takes a penknife,flint and steel, a ball of cord, an ax, and forty dollars, and hops

on a train. His father thinks he'll come back the very next day, so

he lets Sam go. But Sam doesn't come back the next day.

When he gets off the train, Sam searches for Gribley Farm, his

great-grandfather's farm that has been unoccupied for years.

In the beginning, the going is rough for Sam. In fact, Sam cannot

even start a fire the first night. On his first full day in the

mountains, Sam goes to the library and finds out where Gribley

Farm is. When he finally locates the land where the farm once

stood, he sets out to make a home for himself. Sam creates a

place to live in the hollow of a giant old tree. He builds a bed out

of hemlock boughs.

Having read many nature guides and other reference materials

about living in the wilderness, Sam eats fish that he catches and

berries and vegetables that he gathers from the land. One day,

an old woman discovers him on the mountain. In an effort to

make his presence there seem normal, Sam helps her pick

strawberries. While they are out, he notices a peregrine falcon

flying overhead. Sam decides to capture one and train it to hunt

for his food.

Sam succeeds in catching one of the falcon's young. He names

her Frightful and begins the training process. As he trains her,

she becomes his faithful companion, in addition to being a

wonderful hunter. Sam also makes other animal friends during

his stay on the mountain, including a weasel he calls The Baron

and a raccoon he names Jessie Coon James.As winter approaches, Sam realizes he must plan ahead because

food will be scarce in the coming months. He begins to stockpile

acorn flour and wood. Sam also makes a deerskin suit from deer

left by hunters in the woods.

Sam finds more than animals in his woods. One day, he comes

upon a man taking a nap near his tree. Though Sam thinks that

perhaps the man is a bandit hiding out in the woods, he learns

that he is actually a college professor who took a wrong turn.

Sam and Bando become friends and Bando promises to visit

again at Christmas.

Bando follows through on this promise and returns on

Christmas Eve. He says that Sam has been written up in all the

newspapers. Bando shows Sam the headlines about a wild boy

living in the Catskill Mountains. Sam worries that he will be

discovered and forced to return to his home in New York City.

Then, on Christmas Day, Sam hears his father calling to him.

Sam is overjoyed that his father has come to visit. Mr. Gribley is

proud of his son. He stays on after Bando leaves just to spend

some time with Sam and to see how he lives now. When his

father leaves, Sam prepares to live through the winter snows

and cold.

At last, after a particularly dramatic ice storm, which Sam

describes as having "sheets of ice binding the aspens to earth,"

spring finally begins to arrive. Sam is relieved that the worst is

past and is excited for better weather, which will make it easier

to find food.Spring brings a host of new issues for Sam. One day he is

surprised to meet a young boy named Matt Spell. Matt is in the

woods looking for the "wild boy" who was written about in the

newspapers. He wants to meet him and write a story about him.

Though Sam tries to prove otherwise, Matt knows Sam is the boy

in the newspaper articles. Sam agrees to help Matt with the story

and lets him return during his spring vacation. At this point,

Sam begins to wonder why he spoke to Matt at all. Sam thinks

to himself that perhaps he wants human contact again.

When Bando comes back, he and Matt build a guesthouse. Sam

realizes that he has started a city in the woods.

In the end, Sam's entire family shows up—all ten of them. He is

torn. "I could cross to Asia in a canoe via the Bering Strait. I

could raft to an island. I could go around the world on the fruits

of the land. I started to run. I got as far as the gorge and turned

back. I wanted to see Dad."

Excited to see his parents and siblings, Sam hugs his mother

tight. They have not come to visit, but to stay permanently and

make a home with him on the mountain.There are two major settings for this novel: New York City

and the Catskill Mountains. Most of the story's action takes

place in the Catskills. The author sets the story on a fictional plot

of land called Gribley Farm.

It is 1959 when Sam Gribley leaves New York City to live in the

Catskill Mountains, a mountain range about 100 miles northwest

of New York City. The Catskills have campgrounds, summer

homes, and resorts, but are mostly wilderness. The Catskills are

called "America's First Wilderness." The region covers more than

6,000 square miles of mountains, forests, rivers, and farmland,

complete with rolling hills, streams, and waterfalls, too.

In My Side of the Mountain, Jean Craighead George doesn't spend

much time explaining what New York City is like, although she

does say that Sam's apartment there was crowded. Eleven ofSam's family members live in a single apartment on Third

Avenue. And for Sam, that was ten too many.

George uses marvelous language to describe the mountain

setting. She establishes the wilderness setting by describing it in

great detail so that you can picture yourself there. "Two sentinel

boulders, dripping wet, decorated with flowers, ferns, moss,

weeds—everything that loved water—guarded a bathtub-sized

spring." Plus, she includes drawings of flowers, birds, and other

parts of the natural surroundings to help the reader visualize

the scenes.

The Catskill Mountains provide a dramatic backdrop for a

survival story. The varied terrain and the extreme weather make

for lots of adventure and many challenges. When winter gets

particularly bad for Sam, he writes: "Never had humanity seemed

so far away as it did in those cold still months of January,

February, and March." Delhi, the real town that is located near

Sam's fictional camp, has some of the most extreme weather in

the Catskill region, so Sam isn't exaggerating when he describes

the intense winter and the exciting spring that follows. In fact,

Delhi registers some of the coldest winter temperatures (an

average of 14 degrees Fahrenheit) and some of the heaviest

snowfalls in the Northeast. February is the most brutal month,

with many days of temperatures below zero degrees. At the very

beginning of the novel, we learn just how scary it might be to live

through a powerful storm with such low temperatures. Looking

back at his first winter days in the woods, Sam writes about his

fear that he will not be able to escape: "I was scared and thought

maybe I'd never get out of my tree. I had been scared for twodays—ever since the first blizzard hit the Catskill Mountains.

When I came up into the sunlight, which I did by simply poking

my head into the soft snow and standing up, I laughed at my

dark fears."

Even when March does arrive, temperatures regularly remain

below zero. It isn't until April that Sam finally feels that winter is

ending. The thaw begins and streams start to flow again.

Perhaps the most striking setting of the book is the tree in which

Sam lives. It is the ultimate tree house, and the author details

exactly how Sam goes about creating it. When he finishes making

his bed, he describes it right down to how it feels. "The ash slats

work very well, and are quite springy and comfortable. The bed

just fits in the right-hand side of the tree. I have hemlock boughs

on it now, but hope to have deer hide soon." The author even

includes a drawing of the bed in Sam's journal entry. The

combination of words and pictures allows the reader to

experience Sam's home right along with him.

Despite Sam's talent for surviving in the wilderness, the author

makes sure to remind us that Sam is a New Yorker. Mr. Jacket,

who Sam meets at the store in Delhi, recognizes that Sam is from

New York by his accent. Plus, Sam compares the birds that are

his neighbors now to the ones he had in the city. This helps us

compare the way Sam is living now with the way he lived before.

It helps us to see the similarities, even though we might not

think that there are any.Although the book was written in 1959, Sam's story doesn't seem

like it took place long ago. It just as easily could have been

written today. Although modern parents are less likely to allow

their children to go on unsupervised adventures, much of the

story still rings true: The Catskills are still there—though

perhaps a bit more populated—and the city is still as crowded

as ever.The theme of a literary work is an important statement

the author wishes to make about life. In My Side of the

Mountain, Jean Craighead George explores several themes:

establishing a personal connection with the natural world,

asserting one's independence, surviving in difficult

circumstances, young people's search for adventure, and the

balance between the need for solitude and the desire to find

one's place in society.

Connection with nature

The most important theme of the book, connecting emotionally

to the land, is evident on nearly every page. In order to connect

with the land, you need to respect it and all it has to offer. And

Sam knows that in order to live solely off the land, he must trust

and respect his new surroundings. Without all the hubbub of the

city to distract Sam, he can spend long hours watching how the

woodland creatures interact with one another and with theenvironment. From these observations, Sam learns how he can

take advantage of the natural bounty to feed, clothe, and house

himself.

As Sam establishes an emotional connection with the animals

and plant life, he notices all kinds of wondrous events. Some of

them are scary, some others are inspiring. These moments give

him increasing respect for nature and its offerings.

Sam's observation of his first sunrise on the mountain sets the

stage for the theme dealing with his connection to nature. "When

the sky lightened, when the birds awoke, I knew I would never

again see anything so splendid as the round red sun coming up

over the earth."

After he captures Frightful, Sam's connection to his natural

surroundings deepens. "It is hard to explain my feelings at that

moment. It seemed marvelous to see life pump through that

strange little body of feathers, wordless noises, milk eyes—much

as life pumped through me," he tells the reader. From this we

can see the affectionate bond begin to grow between Sam and

his falcon.

Sam's observations reveal the depth of his connection to his

new environment. In one instance, he actually takes a moment

to admire the contribution of the earthworms, something he

probably never would have done in New York. He writes his

thoughts in his notebook: "I don't know why, but this seemed

like one of the nicest things I had learned in the woods—thatearthworms, lowly, confined to the darkness of the earth, could

make just a little stir in the world."

When the winter begins to thaw and the mountain starts to

breathe easier, Sam's connection is firmly intact. He writes,

"Spring is terribly exciting when you're living right in it."

Survival

Not only does Sam connect with nature in many ways

throughout the book, but he also must try to conquer it. As he

observes the wildlife, plants, and changing seasons around

him, Sam learns how to survive by making use of his knowledge.

If he couldn't turn his observations into practical skills or items,

Sam wouldn't have survived the harsh conditions. He must eat,

keep warm, and keep safe. To do all of those things, he must

conquer nature.

At no point is this better illustrated than when Sam finally makes

fire on his own. "I must say this now about that first fire. It was

magic. Out of dead tinder and grass and sticks came a live warm

light.... Oh, this was a different night than the first dark frightful

one. . . . [N]ever have I enjoyed a meal as much as that one, and

never have I felt so independent again." He is overjoyed. With fire,

he can cook and keep warm. Being able to create fire gives him

the confidence to master other survival skills he will need in

order to make it on his own.

Sam knows he needs a warm, safe place to live if he is going

to survive in the wilderness. He gets a marvelous idea when hespies a giant old tree. A home inside the tree would keep him safe

from all kinds of weather. It would also keep him hidden from

passersby. Right away, he gets to work. "I scraped at it with my

hands . . . I dug on and on, using my ax from time to time as my

excitement grew."

During the winter, Sam faces his worst fears. In fact, the very

first time we meet Sam he is scared that he will not make it

through that first storm. Later we learn that he had provided for

himself well. He had stored food, built a stove to warm his home,

and even created a ventilation system for himself and Frightful.

So, when the spring thaw finally begins, Sam knows that he has

survived his ultimate test. This is a powerful moment for Sam.

He tells the reader: "I looked down the valley, and in the dim light

could see the open earth on the land below. The deer could forage

again. Spring was coming to the land! My heart beat faster. I

think I was trembling. The valley also blurred. The only thing

that can do that is tears, so I guess I was crying."

It is Sam's ability to think ahead and think fast, his commitment

to his goals, and his knowledge of the land that allows him to

survive on his own. By the end of his solitary time in the woods,

Sam has done more than survive—he has lived well.

Independence

The thing that Sam craves most is independence from his

parents and his cramped quarters. He wants to be alone and self-

sufficient. By the end of the story, Sam has achieved these goals.

The first real test of Sam's independence occurs on the day thathe is terribly hungry and has finally gathered a whole sweater

full of mussels. At first, he heads back to his camp, where he

plans to cook them. He suddenly realizes that there is no reason

to head back right away and there is no reason to wait to eat.

"But I don't have to carry them anywhere, I said to myself. I have

fire in my pocket, I don't need a table. I can sit right here by the

stream and eat. And so I did," Sam informs the reader.

Things that were easy in New York become giant undertakings

in Sam's new life. It is the small things that test Sam's

determination to be independent. When he wants to burn out

the inside of his tree to make his home, he realizes that he needs

a bucket of water in case things "got out of hand." He is in a

predicament. "Where was I going to get a bucket? How did I

think, even if I found water, I could get it back to the tree? That's

how citified I was in those days. I had never lived without a

bucket before... and so when a water problem came up, I just

thought I could run to the kitchen and get a bucket." Sam finally

understands what total independence is all about; he cannot

depend on modern conveniences at all.

Later, when he comes upon the fire warden inspecting his tree,

Sam again realizes he doesn't have to follow the rules he grew up

with. In fact, he doesn't even need to have a permanent home,

although it is convenient. "Then I realized that I didn't have to go

back to meet the man at all. I was perfectly free and capable of

settling down anywhere. My tree was just a pleasant habit," Sam

tells the reader. Sam realizes that he can make a new home

anywhere. He knows he can start again if he has to.In the end, when Sam has the opportunity to run away from his

family as they move into his new world, he chooses to stay. He

has accomplished ultimate independence because he has proven

that he can survive in the wilderness on his own. If he had to,

he knows he could run off and do it all again. Instead, he

chooses to continue to live off the land, with his family right

there beside him.

Adventure

Many people dream of running away in search of adventure,

but few actually do it. In My Side of the Mountain, the reader

gets to live an extraordinary adventure along with the fictional

character of Sam. Heading into the woods alone is quite

ambitious and Sam's journey is chock-full of exhilarating

moments. These moments keep Sam going. Learning to make

fire, catching and training Frightful, and using deer for meat and

clothing are important accomplishments. They remind Sam that

he is succeeding in his great outdoor survival test and that he's

having fun, too!

One of Sam's most thrilling moments comes when he must act

quickly to get the prize a hunter leaves behind. "Without waiting

to consider what I might be running toward, I burst to the edge

of the meadow....With all my strength I dragged the heavy

animal into the woods. I then hurried to my tree, gathered up the

hemlock boughs on my bed, rushed back and threw them over

the carcass. I stuck a few ferns in them... and ran back to camp,

breathless."

There is an adventure or challenge on every page of this book

and Sam must find a way through each one by using what he

already knows, paying close attention to his surroundings at all

times, and learning from every mishap and every triumph.

Solitude versus society

At first, Sam is utterly content to be alone in the wilderness. He

makes friends with the animals, talks to them, and treats them

as friends. He avoids contact with humans at all costs, partly

because he is afraid a stranger will turn him in, but mostly

because he is tired of interacting with people. He learns to

entertain himself, and is almost too busy to be lonely. Even

in the winter, when Sam might have become overwhelmed by

loneliness, he finds solace instead. "I did not become lonely.

Many times during the summer I had thought of the 'long winter

months ahead' with some fear.... The winter was as exciting as

the summer—maybe more so."

Sam does feel lonely when Bando departs after his first visit.

"I was so lonely that I kept sewing on my moccasins to keep

myself busy." But then, Frightful strikes up a conversation

with Sam. This comforts him and reminds Sam of the special

friendships he has with Frightful, Jessie Coon James, and The

Baron.

When spring comes and people start dropping in for visits, Sam

realizes he has a need for human friendships as well as for

solitude. "I worked with them, wondering what was happeningto me. Why didn't I cry 'No'? What made me happily build a city

in the forest—because that is what we were doing."