Student Question
What are five details about Travis Coates in Old Yeller?
Quick answer:
Travis Coates is a confident young boy left in charge of the farm and family, eager to prove his maturity. He enjoys hunting but reveals his immaturity by scaring off a doe while laughing at squirrels and fighting with his brother, Arliss. Travis is responsible and caring, especially towards Old Yeller, and ultimately demonstrates his maturity by making the difficult decision to shoot Old Yeller, marking his transition into manhood.
Travis feels confident when his father leaves him in charge of taking care of the farm and the family while he's gone. Travis enjoys hunting, but he shows that he's not as grown up as he thinks he is when he laughs out loud at two squirrels playing, scaring off the doe he went to shoot. Travis also shows his immaturity when he gets into a fight with his little brother, Arliss. Travis is in that in-between age, where he's not an adult, but he's not a child either. Travis is a responsible young man, however, and he wants to prove to his father that he is a man. Travis is also a caring person who shows his sincerity about his feelings for Old Yeller. At the end, when Travis must shoot Old Yeller, he shows that he has become a man while his father has been gone. He has matured and does what has to be done, even though he doesn't want to do it.
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