47 pages • 1 hour read
Jean Craighead GeorgeFrightful's Mountain
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1999A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
The Capability of Young People
In writing to an audience of young people, Jean Craighead George creates young characters who are self-reliant and capable of taking action. Through them, she inspires readers to get involved in causes they care about.
The children of Delhi are about 10 years old, but they don’t let their youth keep them from fighting for a cause they care about: birds of prey. When they learn about how utility poles endanger birds, they immediately write letters to the utility company asking them to adjust the wiring. They also try to protect Frightful and her young when the Delhi Bridge is under construction, writing letters to the governor of New York and organizing a parade to promote community awareness about Frightful’s circumstances. These children show initiative, bravely talk to the bridge repairmen, and convince their parents to care about the falcons. Perhaps their youth even functions as a way to get others’ attention; sometimes people are more willing to sympathize with children than with adults. The kids of Delhi have influence and power when they choose to take action.
George also provides examples of adults’ roles in fostering a can-do spirit in children. Leon Longbridge acts as a mentor for the kids, educating them about falcons and encouraging them to get involved in the bridge situation. Meanwhile, the kids take control of their learning, choosing to spend time observing Frightful and seeking out Longbridge for more information. George shows that while school is valuable, it need not be a child’s only source of education. Jon and Susan Wood also recognize that young people have something to offer the community, and this motivates them to visit schools with their birds. They don’t view the kids as powerless; instead, they encourage students to write letters and show them the importance of birds of prey in the balance of nature. George shows that part of becoming a capable and self-reliant child is having adult teachers and mentors who treat one as such.
Finally, Sam’s character showcases a young person’s capabilities. He has lived on his own in nature for a few years now and has learned a great deal along the way. His survival journey hasn’t been easy, but because of Sam’s humility, persistence, and willingness to learn, he has grown in confidence and self-reliance. Along with the kids in Delhi, Sam takes action when he sees the danger Frightful and her eggs face on the bridge. He builds a new shelter from which to watch her and climbs the bridge daily to feed her and keep her calm. Sam is an example of a young person who is willing to do difficult things for a cause he is passionate about.
Through Sam and the other younger characters, George suggests to her young audience that they are capable of learning, getting involved, and taking the lead in areas in which they are passionate. Her characters serve as examples of what it looks like to be a confident, capable young person.
The Beauty and Wonder of Nature
The novel’s point of view and focus on falcons and their life processes showcases the beauty of nature. George’s personal appreciation for nature comes through in her storytelling, and she invites readers to marvel at its wonder.
Although the novel contains information that a textbook about falcons would cover, George imparts science and facts in a way that complements the plot and captures the reader’s interest. For example, when George describes Frightful’s egg-laying and brooding process, including such details as the temperature needed to activate life within the eggs and the need to turn the eggs periodically to keep the yolks suspended inside the shell, these details enhance the story, as does George’s description of Frightful’s trance as she sits on her eggs, which prevents her from being distracted by the noises and vibrations on the bridge. All of these details highlight the wonder of nature. The egg-hatching process is also an opportunity for such wonder, and the reader can easily feel the excitement of Delhi’s children and Sam when the eggs hatch.
Thus, George’s characters’ appreciation of the natural world carries over to readers. Sam, for example, constantly observes and appreciates nature. He respects the environment and learns from it. Even though he lives outdoors all the time, the beauty of nature is not lost on him. Other characters, such as Jon and Susan Wood, also marvel at nature. They are impressed by Frightful’s resilience and wonder about the things she has seen and done. They also share the beauty of nature with children by bringing their birds of prey to schools. Jon and Susan are passionate about birds and want others to see the value and beauty of the birds like they do.
George also includes detailed descriptions of the landscape, sometimes from Frightful’s perspective and other times from that of humans. She uses imagery and figurative language to highlight the beauty of the landscape, using metaphors to describe a stream with “many voices” running down a “stairway of rocks” (8). George’s inclusion of the Galapagos Islands as the setting for Frightful’s winter destination allows her to include descriptions of the unique plants and animals inhabiting a part of the world totally different from New York. Through facts about falcons, characters’ appreciation for nature, and descriptions of various environments, George highlights the beauty and wonder of nature and aims to inspire readers with a deep sense of amazement and respect for nature.
The Balance of Nature
As George provides insight into falcon’s hunting, migration, and reproduction processes through Frightful’s experiences, she shows the crucial role of birds of prey in their ecosystems. She highlights the symbiotic relationship among living things and demonstrates that humans also affect the balance of nature. By drawing attention to nature’s delicate balance, she helps show the importance of protecting wildlife.
Frightful’s and Mole’s hunting shows how predatory animals instinctively help to control animal populations such as rats, pigeons, rabbits, and others. While they hunt the most abundant animals in one area, they refrain from depleting the whole population and move on to another location so that the population can be replenished. Historically, humans have not employed the natural conservation methods that Mole and Frightful exemplify. Instead, regulations of and restrictions on human actions are needed to keep animal populations at healthy levels. Conservation methods that come instinctively to animals such as Mole and Frightful must be learned by humans.
Frightful offers another example of her importance to the balance of nature when she hunts pigeons from the Delhi courthouse cupola. George explains that Frightful chooses the weakest pigeons and those that carry diseases. In this way, Frightful is controlling a population that humans consider pests and protecting humans from the diseases they carry. Without Frightful’s presence, the pigeons would multiply quickly and soon imbalance the ecosystem. At various points in the novel, George mentions DDT, a pesticide still used in South America to eliminate pests and help humans, but, in fact, it has the opposite effect. In birds of prey, DDT leads to an inability to reproduce and an early death, which means that fewer birds of prey are present to control other pest populations. George shows that many human choices impact nature, and since all of nature is interconnected, one seemingly small action can have far-reaching effects.
Sam’s character recognizes nature’s precarious balance. Even though he loves Frightful, he does not see her as his pet or property. He wants what is best for her and for all of nature and therefore wants her to reproduce.
By highlighting the symbiosis in nature, George both warns of the dangers of human intrusion in nature and encourages readers to marvel at the unique environmental value of individual organisms.
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