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My Side of the Mountain

by Jean George

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Sam Gribley's Experiences and Challenges in "My Side of the Mountain"

Summary:

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 stockpiling wood and relying on his trained falcon, Frightful, for food. He encounters various animals, including a raccoon named Jessie Coon James and a weasel named Baron, which become his companions. Sam's father visits, bringing the family to live with him, highlighting the tension between his desire for solitude and family ties.

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What troubles does Sam encounter in chapters 16-18 of My Side of the Mountain?

In fact, the sixteenth chapter is titled “In Which Trouble Begins.” Sam refers here to his interactions with people in the nearby town. When he walks into a store wearing his deerskin clothing, a young man (“Mr. Jacket”) calls him “Daniel Boone” and asks about where he lives and what he does. It feels nice, talking to another person again. And yet, if too many people know about Sam, they may pose a threat to his lifestyle. He doesn’t want anyone coming up to his mountain home and interfering with his days. He doesn’t want any authorities insisting that he go back home to his family in New York City.

The seventeenth chapter is titled “In Which I Pile Up Wood and Go on with Winter.” Here, Sam continues the story that he used to begin the book. He survives the snowfall by keeping a fire going with the wood he collects. Frightful the falcon hunts for food for him, in the snow. Sam eats Bando’s jam and acorn and hickory pancakes. Even though the weather can cause trouble in finding enough food and shelter and warmth, Sam has successfully learned how to deal with these issues.

The eighteenth chapter is titled “In Which I Learn About Birds and People.” Winter continues. Sam describes some of the animals he sees, especially the birds. And it’s time for Christmas. Both Bando and Sam’s father come up the mountain to visit with him. Bando brings along three local newspaper articles that claim that a boy is living in the Catskills on his own, stealing deer from hunters. This is exactly the kind of publicity that Sam doesn’t want or need. Now more people may try to find him. This kind of “trouble” can only escalate. And, as we see in the rest of the book, it does.

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What animals does Sam Gribley encounter in My Side of the Mountain?

Sam encountered some animals more than others, and he named a few select ones that were his favorites. Frightful, of course, was his trained falcon. The Baron was a weasel who seemed to think he owned the whole area. Jessie Coon James was a raccoon who liked to steal food. Jessie turned out to be a she-Jessie and had a litter of kits the following spring. The chattering chickadees were Mr. Bracket, Mrs. O’Brien, Mrs. Callaway, and Mrs. Federico. Barometer was a nuthatch. Sam considered these animals his closest friends.

Of course, Sam saw many more animals than just these few. He mentions a crow and a great horned owl. He regularly caught and ate frogs, turtles, crayfish, rabbits, and deer. You will find even more animals mentioned in two key chapters: “In Which We All Learn About Halloween” (Chapter 14); and “In Which I Learn About Birds and People” (Chapter 18).

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What animals does Sam Gribley encounter in My Side of the Mountain?

Great question! In the book My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George, Sam Gribley encounters numerous different animals during his time in the wilderness. Although I cannot list all of the animals, here are some examples to help you get started!

Foremost, as Sam spends time out in the wilderness, he encounters more and more animals. For example, he sees a deer mouse, nuthatch (which he uses as a barometer), weasel, shrew, mink, falcon, possum, fox, cottontail rabbit, great horned owl, chickadee, squirrel, deer, raccoon, and even a skunk. With this extensive list, it is evident that Sam encounters numerous animals. As the text reveals:

“There were no raccoons or skunks about in the snow, but the mice, the weasels, the mink, the foxes, the shrews, the cottontail rabbits were all busier than Coney Island in July.”

Furthermore, Sam also becomes emotionally connected with some of these creatures during his time in the wilderness. For example, Sam names some of the creatures and even talks to them. He names his falcon, “Frightful” and converses with her. He also names a raccoon, “Jesse Coon James.”

Thus, animals play an important role in the book. There are numerous animals mentioned throughout the story and some even become quite important characters.

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What did Sam Gribley's dad bring him in "My Side of the Mountain"?

In the book My Side of the Mountain, Sam Gribley’s father comes to see him twice.  The first time, he does not bring anything.  The second time, he brings the rest of the family to see Sam.

The first time that Sam’s father comes is at Christmas.  Mr. Gribley has been missing Sam and wants to see how he is doing.  He finds Sam by tracking him a little bit and then by yelling when he thinks he is near to where Sam is.  He spends Christmas with Sam and Bando, but he does not bring anything with him.

Later, at the very end of the book, Sam’s father comes to see him again.  This time, he brings something with him.  It is the whole Gribley family.  As the book says (I have this in electronic form and cannot give page numbers)

The family! Dad had brought the family! Every one of them.

As it turns out, Mr. Gribley did not just bring the family to visit.  He plans to build a house in the woods so that the family can live together again.

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Which animals accompany Sam in My Side of the Mountain?

Sam gets to know a number of animals while living in the woods. He gives many of these creatures names and several of them become recurring characters throughout the story.

Sam's main companion is a falcon which he names Frightful. He took the bird from its nest while it was still young. With the help of books from the library, he trains Frightful to hunt small woodland animals, and they rely on each other for survival and companionship.

Jessie Coon James, the bandit raccoon, is named after the famous outlaw Jesse James. Sam learns how to find shellfish in the creek by watching the raccoon dig for mussels.

Sam names a nuthatch Barometer, because he can predict the weather by observing the bird's behavior.

After a weasel escapes Sam's trap, he names it Baron in response to the animal's imperious attitude.

He names several chickadees after his neighbors in New York City. Mr. Bracket is an irritable little bird who chases away any passersby. This reminds Sam of the actual Mr. Bracket who never appreciated his human neighbors. Other chickadees are called Mrs. Callaway, Mrs. O'Brien, and Mrs. Federico.

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Which animals accompany Sam in My Side of the Mountain?

Frightful is the name of the trained falcon, Jesse Coon James is the raccoon, and Baron Weasel is a weasel, as his name suggests.  While Sam is in the forest, these animals become his friends and his protectors from harm. Sam has regular conversations with them. Sam spends a year in the woods and does manage to meet people who become his friends. Sam hungers for privacy, being one of eleven children, and his parents allow him to find it in his year in the woods. Sam establishes his independence from his parents and siblings and proves he can live alone in the woods. His year also shows how wonderful communing with nature can be, as Sam's close relationship with the animals shows.

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Who is Sam Gribley in My Side of the Mountain?

Sam Gribley is a young man, a teenager, who runs away from home to live in the wild. 

In the early pages of the novel, Sam relates the story of how "he ran away from his crowded New York apartment to live in the woods."

Having grown up in a family of eleven in New York City, he values his privacy and independence. 

Sam is resilient, independent, determined and intelligent. On arriving in the woods, Sam quickly realizes he also has a lot to learn about living in the wild. 

Relying on his background knowledge and his ingenuity, Sam scratches out a meager sustenance in his first weeks in the wild. The longer he lives alone in the woods, the more he learns and the more content he is with his isolation on the mountain, living in the natural world. 

Sam's social nature eventually overcomes his desire to be alone, however, and Sam proves himself to be a friendly host to several people who he meets on and near the mountain. 

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