When True Son comforts him about what happened, uncle Wilse claims that the got what they deserved. The only person who does not see True Son's Indian ways as strange and upsetting is Gordie, and a relationship begins to form between the two boys. After that, True Son is forced to cross a river and is separated from his cousin and the lands he knew. True Son also hears about the Indians lurking around and one night he tries to communicate with them using a secret language used by the Indians. The novel begins with the main character, True Son, a white boy raised in an Indian tribe, being taken away from his adoptive family. Meanwhile, Dell thinks about their captain, Bouquet. It is the fall of 1764, and the relations between white settlers of western Pennsylvania and Indians of the Ohio area are strained. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. You can help us out by revising, improving and updating When True Son is introduced to his white father, Harry Butler, he is repulsed by him and states that the man is not his father. The night before the planned attack, however, True Son is shocked to learn that Thitpan has scalped a young white child. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. The next day Cuyloga takes True Son to a point in the woods where they part forever, and True Son continues on, alone. Little Crane’s family however is not happy and they demand Little Crane to be avenged. The Light in the Forest It is the fall of 1764, and the relations between white settlers of western Pennsylvania and Indians of the Ohio area are strained. Before departing from his cousin, Little Arrow tells True Son that his father wants him to be brave, have patience and strike when the time is right. Half Arrow and True Son then go to Uncle Wilse and they kill him before running away and returning to the Indian tribe. The next day True Son meets more of his relatives, including his Uncle Wilse, who was a leader of the Paxton boys. The Light in the Forest opens in October 1764. Slowly, the Butler family tried to integrate True Son into the new society and to make him feel more comfortable with his new way of life. The food found in True Son’s bag is seen as evidence for his attempt to run away and while it was not true, True Son did not tried to defend himself. After hearing this, True Son decided to find a way to commit suicide, thinking that he would rather die on Indian soil than to be taken into enemy territory. Upstairs, he finds his mother, Myra Butler, who tells him that his real name is John Cameron Butler but True Son refuses to answer to that name. Half Arrow also gives True Son some gifts his family sends him: corn, a bearskin to keep him warm and a pair of shoes from his mother. The Light in the Forest helped me understand this time period better by showing me the distrustful relationship between the white men and the Indians. For example, in a conversation between True Son's white father and his uncle, Uncle Wilse said "You can make an Indian out of a white man, but you can never make a white man out of an Indian." SparkNotes is brought to you by Barnes & Noble. The Light in the Forest - Chapter 3 Summary & Analysis Conrad Richter This Study Guide consists of approximately 49 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Light in the Forest. It is thus decided that the Indians will go avenge the dead boy and that True Son will take part as well. Little Crane's brother, Thitpan, calls for war against the whites, and a war party is formed that includes Cuyloga, Half Arrow, True Son, and Little Crane's family. True Son has a difficult time adjusting to the white culture that is forced upon him. However, as the boat comes closer True Son sees that there is a boy Gordie's age on the boat. True Son’s father feels guilty for what had happened and considers that his son’s illness is also his fault. Myra tries to get True Son to communicate with her and say his real name, John Cameron Butler, but True Son is stubborn and refuses to acknowledge that the Butlers are his real family. Dell tells True Son that he must say goodbye to his friends and when he tries to push Half Arrow away with his rifle, True Son tries to grab the rifle away from Dell. But although the Indians love their adopted white relatives, they agree to give them back so that they will be able to keep their land. The novel begins with the main character, True Son, a white boy raised … After a few hours, True Son gets out of his bed and sleeps on the floor, covered in the bearskin his Indian father gifted him. Geordie takes True Son into their room but True Son refuses to change his clothes, seeing the clothes he was offered as being just another way to suffocate and imprison him. Parson Elder treats True Son with respect but the young boy misunderstands his actions and thinks that the Parson tries to secretly convert him to Christianity. The Light in the Forest (1953), a work of historical fiction by Conrad Richter, takes place during the American Revolutionary War, following True Son, a young white boy who was captured by the Leni Lenape tribe and assimilated into Native American culture, where he lived happily for eleven years. The Light in the Forest study guide contains a biography of Conrad Richter, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. True Son is convinced to act as a decoy to lure unsuspecting white people to their deaths but True Son is unable to carry out his duty when he realizes that the Indians will a kill a young boy who was approximately the same age as Geordie. Although Little Crane's family votes to burn True Son for his betrayal, Cuyloga saves his son from death with a very moving speech. "The Light in the Forest Summary". After eleven years with his Indian family, he is told that he must return to his white family because of a newly signed treaty. The day of the attack True Son lures in a boat by calling out for his white "brothers" to rescue him from starvation. After spending several weeks together in the wilderness, True Son and Half Arrow return to Tuscarawas, where everyone except for Little Crane's family receives them warmly. True Son’s father comes as well and True Son is disappointed to see how unimportant his biological father looks. True Son's stoic Indian father, Cuyloga, whom he idolizes, forces his stubborn and resistant son to leave with the white soldiers. When Geordie and True Son are sent in the city to buy some groceries, True Son meets a black man named Bejance who just like True Son was raised by the Indians. Bouquet was brave enough to venture into the land owned by the Indians to take back some of the white captives that were adopted into Indian families. will review the submission and either publish your submission or provide feedback. He doesn't like the way his father looks, and he is put off by his attitude. Millions of books are just a click away on BN.com and through our FREE NOOK reading apps. The reference to light in the third line of the poem represents the poet's concept of innocence found in young children. True Son was made to attend school to learn to read and write the English language and he also had to attend church every week. Mr. Butler choses to hide the incident from his family, thinking that it will only make them feel worst and focuses instead on his work. True Son finds that another Indian, Little Crane, also follows the white group because his wife was taken from him as well. At the start of the story, True Son, a white boy whom Lenni Lenape Indians captured at age four and later adopted as one of their own, is in turmoil. Copyright © 1999 - 2020 GradeSaver LLC. The novel Light in The Forest is written on the 7.6th grade level. GradeSaver, 28 April 2017 Web. The whites seem to ignore the nature around them and be more interested in financial gain than their own good. After three days, the soldiers were told that they would be returning to Pennsylvania with the recovered children. Aunt Kate tells Parson Elder that the reason why Myra is sad is because her son refuses to acknowledge her as his mother. True Son, a fifteen-year-old white boy who has been raised by Indians since the age of four, is one of the white prisoners who is going to be returned. True Son refuses to acknowledge the white man as being his father and so it is decided that Dell will go with True Son to protect his white family from possible violent outburst. Nevertheless, the ambitious white Colonel Bouquet and his troop of 1,500 men march into Indian country and demand the return of whites who have been kidnapped by the Delaware Indians. A few days later, one of them was killed by Uncle Wilse and scalped. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of The Light in the Forest and what it means. Nevertheless, the ambitious white Colonel Bouquet and his troop of 1,500 men march into Indian country and demand the return of whites who have been kidnapped by the Delaware Indians. While it was commonly believed that the Indians will never give up their captives, Dell soon learned that they would rather give up the people they adopted into their families rather than giving up their lands. From that day, True Son thinks constantly about the day he will go on the mountain to see Corn Blade.