1. The Light in the Forest Conrad Richter

2. Characters

3. True Son  Protagonist.  15-years-old.  Raised by the Lenni Lenape tribe for 11 years.  Rebellious and passionate

4. Cuyloga  Brave, fair, stoic warrior.  Deeply loves his white son.  True Son’s hero.

5. Del Hardy  20-year-old soldier.  Sympathetic toward True Son.  Believes in superiority of whites.

6. Uncle Wilse  White supremacist.  Leader of the Paxton Boys.  True Son’s uncle.  Stubborn and passionate.

7. Harry Butler  True Son’s white father.  Weak, pale, insignificant.  Endured extraordinary guilt.

8. Half Arrow  True Son’s cousin.  Overconfident and naïve.

9. Colonel Bouquet  Military leader who forces the return of the white prisoners.

10. Myra Butler  True Son’s white mother.  Views his mother as disgraceful b/c she does not work.

11. Little Crane  True Son’s friend.  Deeply in love with his white wife.

12. Gordie  True Son’s naïve younger brother.  Symbolizes hope for the white man.  Represents innocent children who are destroyed by the racial war.

13. Aunt Kate  Opinionated white aunt.  Does not trust True Son and has anger for the boy.

14. Thitpan  Name means “bitter”.  Little Crane’s brother.  Bloodthirsty and ruthless.

15. THEMES

16. Indian Freedom vs. White Civilization  Natural, free world vs. restricting “civilized” domain.  Indians roam the land free of burdens.  Whites concerned with creating stable settlements.

17. Victimization of Children  Tragic effects of frontier life on children.  They become victims of racial violence.  Taught how to hate by their elders.

18. Struggle for Identity  White teenager raised by Indians then forced to return to white family.  Search for true identity.

19. Imperfection of Both Indian and White Societies  Both sides committed horrific deeds.  White claim to be Christian but they kill innocent people; same as Indians.

20. SYMBOLS

21. Fort Pitt  Gloomy, dark structure.  Restrictive white culture.

22. English Clothes  Lying, deceitful, and murderous ways of white people.

23. KEY FACTS

24. Point of View  3 rd Person Omniscient

25. Setting  1764-1765  Ohio-western, Pa.  Indian village of Tuscarawas and white settlement of Paxton Township.

26. Protagonist  True Son a.k.a. John Cameron Butler

27. Major Conflict  1: True Son’s fight against restrictive customs of white family.  2: True Son’s internal struggle to find true identity.