My Side of the Mountain

In My Side of the Mountain, examples of figurative language include similes, metaphors, and personification. Similes compare two things using "like" or "as," such as "the wind cut like a knife."...

In My Side of the Mountain, Sam mentions several edible plants in his journal, including dogtooth violet bulbs, acorns, hickory sticks, poplar tree bark, cattail tubers, honey locust beans, hickory...

Sam decides to leave home because he finds his crowded living situation unbearable and wants the freedom and adventure of living in nature. His father permits the venture, believing Sam will return...

In My Side of the Mountain, Sam Gribley faces challenges such as isolation, harsh weather, and unwanted attention from the outside world. In the winter, he manages to survive a blizzard by...

In "My Side of the Mountain," to make acorn pancakes, first, remove the shells and grind the acorns into flour. Then, soak the flour in water to leach out the bitter tannins. After drying the flour,...

Ash slats are flexible and pliable, and make a comfortable mattress. The knothole in the tree that Sam makes his fireplace out of provides ventilation for the smoke to escape; however, this does not...

In My Side of the Mountain, Sam Gribley brings minimal supplies from New York to the Catskills Mountains: a penknife, a ball of cord, an ax, flint, steel, and $40. Despite his limited preparation,...

In My Side of the Mountain, Sam used a nuthatch as a barometer. Living in the wilderness without a traditional barometer, he observed the behavior of the nuthatch to predict the weather. If the...

In "My Side of the Mountain," Sam names his animal friends to create a sense of companionship and familiarity. This practice helps him cope with the isolation of living alone in the wilderness,...

The ending of "My Side of the Mountain" sees Sam Gribley deciding to return to his family after living independently in the wilderness. Although he initially cherishes his solitude, he eventually...

Sam Gribley uses acorn flour mixed with water to make pancakes, which become a staple of his diet while living in the Catskill Mountains. He first mentions eating acorn pancakes in the chapter "In...

In "My Side of the Mountain," Sam makes a fishhook, a shelter with a bed, and learns to start a fire. He crafts a fishhook by binding two whittled twigs together with green bark. For shelter, he...

The main conflicts in My Side of the Mountain include man versus nature, as Sam Gribley learns to survive in the wilderness, and man versus self, as he grapples with loneliness and self-doubt. The...

In My Side of the Mountain, Mr. Jacket, whose real name is Tom Sidler, becomes an important friend to Sam Gribley. Sam, who has been living in the Catskill Mountains, ventures into town seeking human...

Sam chose the big hemlock tree as his home because he wanted a place that was hidden from others to avoid being taken back to where he belonged. The tree offered a natural option that could be...

In My Side of the Mountain, the protagonist is Sam Gribley, a resourceful fourteen-year-old boy who leaves his crowded New York City home to live independently in the wilderness. Sam learns to...

In Jean George's My Side of the Mountain, five important objects for Sam Gribley's survival include flint and steel, a penknife, an ax, a deerskin suit, and a deerskin door. The flint and steel are...

Bando calls Sam "Thoreau" because he sees a parallel between Sam's life in the woods and the philosophy of Henry David Thoreau, an American author and naturalist known for living simply in nature....

The Baron, the weasel in My Side of the Mountain, is named by the protagonist, Sam Gribley. Sam gives the weasel this grand name after observing its fearless and regal behavior, which reminds him of...

In "My Side of the Mountain," Sam's observations and habitation of trees highlight his resourcefulness and connection with nature. He chooses to live in a hollowed-out hemlock tree, which provides...

In Chapter 12, Sam and the raccoon, Jessie Coon James, assist each other by foraging for mussels. Sam adopts Jessie, who is adept at digging up mussels by the stream. Sam uses Jessie's digging skills...

Sam's motivations for returning to the woods in My Side of the Mountain stem from his desire for independence and solitude, where he can live in harmony with nature. However, his wish to be found...

Tom Sidler is a young man Sam meets in town during a visit in search of human contact. Initially known as "Mr. Jacket" to Sam, Tom calls him "Daniel Boone" due to Sam's buckskin clothing. Their first...

The three most important events are Sam Gribley's departure from the city to the countryside, marking his initial struggle to adapt; his successful establishment of a home and survival strategy in...

Sam creates a calendar by using an aspen pole stuck in the ground, into which he cuts a notch each day. This simple method helps him keep track of the days and seasons, although his focus on survival...

In My Side of the Mountain, the rising action involves Sam's adaptation to the natural world, embracing its challenges without conflict. The climax occurs when Sam confronts the need to balance his...

Sam Gribley is characterized by his independence, determination, and resourcefulness as he survives alone in the mountains. His ability to follow through with his plans highlights his determination,...

In "My Side of the Mountain," Sam faces various challenges with animal trapping, including learning to set traps effectively and dealing with the ethical dilemmas of taking animal lives. He overcomes...

To tan a deer hide, Sam needed tannic acid, which is naturally produced by oak trees. He cut down an oak tree and burned out a depression in the stump to hold the hide as it soaked. The hide soaked...

Sam kills three deer. He hides the first one in a tree. He hides the second one – and this is the one that gets me every time – in a hollow log near his tent. And then he goes into town with...

In "My Side of the Mountain," Sam trains Frightful, his falcon, through several steps. Initially, he familiarizes her with human interaction by talking to and touching her, making her easier to...

When Sam says that he's going around in circles in My Side of the Mountain, he's expressing frustration at not being able to make any progress. It seems that no matter how hard he works, he's never...

When Sam noticed his trained falcon, Frightful, was sick, he discovered that the lack of proper ventilation in his tree-room was the cause. The fireplace he built consumed all the oxygen, leaving...

Sam learns that earthworms make a popping sound when they surface due to air bubbles, which delights him as it demonstrates even a small creature can make an impact. This reflects a key theme of the...

Sam names his bird "Frightful" due to the terrifying experiences he faces while acquiring her. In My Side of the Mountain, Sam must climb a cliff and endure an attack from the falcon's mother to...

Sam's solution for winter warmth demonstrates his problem-solving skills and resourcefulness. Living in a hollow tree in the Catskills, he adapts by constructing a fireplace using a clay pot...

The tone of "My Side of the Mountain" is factual, unemotional, and straightforward, reflecting the protagonist Sam's calm and rational personality. The narrative is methodical and analytical,...

Sam hollowed out his hemlock tree by using fire, inspired by the method Native Americans used to create dugout canoes. After cooking lunch one day, he decided to start a fire inside the tree trunk....

The narrator Sam wants a house that can't be seen because he knows that the Catskill Mountains can get very busy during the summer. Although his great-grandfather's farm is somewhat remote, hikers,...

Sam uses Jessie C. James to uncover food for him in My Side of the Mountain by letting the raccoon dig up mussels for him. As Sam tells us, Jessie can find mussels where three men could not.

Sam is more determined than his Dad was. His Dad had wanted to run away, but never did. Sam actually runs away and is successful for a time.

Sam marked the hickory trees with an X on his map because they were a valuable resource. He planned to harvest hickory nuts in the fall for sustenance and use the limbs to make salt, which would help...

Sam Gribley obtained his first deer in "My Side of the Mountain" from poachers who shot the deer but failed to track it. This allowed Sam to claim the deer, which he needed for its hide to cover his...

Sam's crucial realization in My Side of the Mountain is that he underestimated the difficulty of surviving winter alone. Despite his thorough preparations, he overlooked the emotional and physical...

By the end of his Halloween party, Sam learns that woodland animals do not understand human party etiquette. His attempt to share food with them leads to chaos, as many animals come solely for the...

In My Side of the Mountain, Sam names his falcon Frightful and his rabbit The Baron Weasel.

In My Side of the Mountain, Sam Gribley undergoes significant character development. Initially a boy seeking independence, he becomes resourceful and self-reliant as he learns to survive alone in the...

The forester left the Gribley Farm because his job was to investigate the smoke from Sam's fires, as there had been no rain for weeks and he was a fire warden. After finding no immediate threat and...

At the end of My Side of the Mountain, Sam's family decides to leave the city and move up to the mountain near Sam. They want to live on the old Gribley farm and enjoy nature with Sam.

The actions that please the narrator in My Side of the Mountain are those that demonstrate self-reliance and survival skills. The narrator takes pride in his ability to live off the land, create a...