The Character Development of Sam Gribley in My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

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My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George is a modern classic for the middle to upper elementary age group. The author skillfully crafts a believable protagonist in Sam Gribley, a young boy who runs away from home. Sam is a nuanced character. At times he struggles with his decision to live in the woods, but mostly he embraces it. He always looks to the future in his quest for freedom and adventure and refuses to quit. George builds Gribley’s character throughout the book. One of the first things Sam decides to do is scale a rocky cliff wall to snatch a baby falcon from its nest. He feels that having a trained falcon will aid him in his life ahead in the woods. Sam is a novice at outdoor life (coming straight out of life in an urban city) and gets scratched up and his ascent is clumsy. He is successful is procuring the falcon chick, but only barely so. Also shortly into his new life, Sam finds a tree that he decides to hollow out into living quarters. He works at it for hours with little progress. He becomes frustrated with his lack of success but he does not give up. Throughout the book, Sam becomes more skilled at living alone in the outdoors. He teaches himself practical skills (such as how to set traps, hunt, fish, and quietly evade other people) but his inner character also shows growth over time, as he learns to deal with and overcome the loneliness and fear that try to stay with him. By the end of the book, Sam’s character has transformed completely. He is completely comfortable wearing deer hide moccasins and living in the forest. He is not afraid of anything, because he has weathered through everything the outdoors has thrown at him with tenacity and success. George has done a terrific job with the character of Sam Gribley. His transformation from unhappy and uncertain to strong, confident and content is one that will stick in the reader’s

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