Old Yeller

“He made me so mad at first that I wanted to kill him. Then, later, when I had to kill him, it was like having to shoot some of my own folks. That’s how much I’d come to think of the big yeller dog.” 

First-person narrator Travis opens the novel by foreshadowing what will happen to Old Yeller. While Gipson’s approach removes some of the reader’s suspense about the plotline, it increases reader’s emotional suspense: leaving them to wonder why Travis’s feelings for Yeller change, and why Travis had to kill the dog. This quote also reveals Travis’s strong bond with Yeller.

“It was the first time I’d ever shaken hands like a man. It made me feel big and solemn and important in a way I’d never felt before.” 

Travis shakes on the deal with Papa to take care of the homestead in exchange for a horse. Travis is proud that Papa treats him like a man and is determined to live up to Papa’s expectations. Travis feels that he is leaving childhood behind and believes he can take care of things nearly as well as Papa. The novel’s developing coming-of-age theme and motif of “manhood” are evident in this quote.

“There was no question about it: for the sort of country we lived in, a good dog around the place was sometimes worth more than two or three men.” 

The Texas Hill Country where the Coates family has settled presents many specifically regional natural challenges. Travis understands that a dog offers both protection against wild animals like wolves, bears, and panthers, and is invaluable in working livestock and hunting. Travis recognizes that the settlers are in a constant contest against natural forces and depend on the land for their livelihood.