Before going to the farm, Tom has no interest in building “new experiences,” and he bluntly tells his father, “I like myself the way I am” (7). Tom is comfortable spending his free time talking with Petie or making models in his room, and his reluctance to step outside his comfort zone is highlighted by his short-sighted insistence that he “knows” he will hate being on the farm. This belief is based on a brief, uncomfortable, experience at a summer camp, and the more Tom voices his objections to the farm, the more he reaffirms his dislike to himself, and his anxiety about the “unknown” fuels his reluctance to embrace this new adventure.

Tom admits that he is “not an enormously adaptable person” (29) and he clings to this definition of himself during the first few days on the farm. Eventually, however, the subconscious benefit of doing “nothing” while surrounded by nature triggers Tom’s journey of personal growth. Far from “hating” the farm, Tom opens himself up to a range of new experiences and even goes to bed smiling after he sees the fox cub and spends a joyful afternoon in the river with

Don't Miss Out!

Access Study Guide Now