Coming of Age: The Yearling and Family

The dual meaning of The Yearling’s title is no accident. It’s true that Flag, the fawn, becomes a yearling by the end of the book, but so does his owner, Jody Baxter. In fact, Jody grows even beyond yearling status to become a young man—a truth that his father recognizes. While death and first love play major roles in Jody’s coming of age, his family is probably the most effective catalysts.

Love and Worship

Jody Baxter is an only child because Ma lost all six babies that she’d had before him. As a result, Ma became brusque and sharp-tongued. She doesn’t let herself get affectionate with Jody, probably for fear that she’ll lose him too. Pa, on the other hand, puts all his stock in his boy. He spends time with Jody and spoils him in countless small ways. As a result, Jody still loves Ma, but he worships Pa.

And, of course, the worship of any fallible mortal is a setup for disaster.

Jody’s first shock comes when his invincible Pa gets bitten by a rattlesnake and nearly dies. Instead of Jody’s depending on Pa, Pa depends on Jody to run for help. Pa barely survives the ordeal and struggles with his health for the remainder of the book. This weakening of Pa’s body scares Jody, but it only strengthens his trust in Pa’s unimpeachable character.

Tension and Trust

Throughout the story, Jody is let down by various friends and neighbors. Oliver Hutto betrays his friendship with Jody by choosing to marry the unfaithful Twink Weatherby. Grandma Hutto is a more loving figure to Jody than his own mother is, but she chooses to move away with Oliver, leaving Jody and Pa nearly friendless. The Forresters become embroiled in a vicious battle against their neighbors, the Baxters, putting strain on their relationships. But through it all, Jody can rely on Pa to be his hero and his ally.

Devastatingly, Jody’s fawn becomes the source of his worst heartbreak. Flag the fawn is Jody’s precious pet and best friend. Pa often sticks up for Flag when Ma wants him gone, and Jody knows that Pa understands how important Flag is to him. Even when Flag becomes not just a nuisance but an actual threat to the Baxters’ supply of food for the winter, Jody still trusts that Pa will take his side on the issue.

Betrayal

At this point in the story, Jody is well on his way to maturity. He replants the garden corn that Flag destroyed, and he constructs a tall fence around the garden to keep the yearling out. It’s man’s work, and Jody’s young hands become calloused and his little muscles become stronger. His mind and body are growing up, but his heart is still the heart of a child.

When all Jody’s work does nothing to deter Flag from destroying the corn again, Ma is on the warpath. Jody relies on Pa to talk sense into her and help protect Flag. But Jody’s unquestioning belief in Pa is shattered in an instant when Pa, bedridden with another sickness, gives Jody the verdict that Flag must be shot, and Jody must be the one to do it.

From Devastation to Comprehension

The ensuing chaos—of Ma’s shooting Flag but failing to kill him, of Jody’s having to finish him off, of Jody’s running away from the home he now hates—seems like a nightmare. Perhaps even worse than the actual events is Pa’s fall from grace. Jody’s heart reels knowing that “Pa went back on him.” Pa, the one he had always trusted implicitly, had done the unimaginable and betrayed Jody. His heart wasn’t mature yet, but it was no longer innocent either. “[Jody] hung suspended in a timeless space. He could neither go forward nor back. Something was ended. Nothing was begun.”

When Jody begins to feel true, miserable hunger, he finally understands that Pa was just protecting the family from starvation. Ma, for all her brusqueness, has always loved the family in the practical way of filling the table with all their favorite foods. Flag threatened their survival, and Pa did what he had to do in order to protect those he loves most. Jody’s mind is finally starting to process the events. He’s on his way toward maturity.

The Boy Becomes a Man

When Jody finally makes it back home and talks with Pa, his coming of age is complete. Pa speaks to him as to a man. He tells Jody hard truths about life, speaking to him as an equal. He confides in Jody about loneliness, disappointment, and life. Jody takes it all in not wonderingly as a boy but wisely as a man.

He’s no longer the trusting, naïve child who delighted to follow his pa around the farm, awestruck at his father’s strength. Instead, he has become a source of strength for his father. When Penny is ready for bed, he asks for Jody’s help. Jody supports his frail father to his room and tucks him into bed. He plans to take over the farm work in the morning. He’s no longer a boy but a man.

And yet…

In his sleep, he cries out for Flag and for the lost innocence he can never regain. He’s come of age, and there’s no undoing the growth. But for as much as he gained, his heart knows there’s much he’s lost, too. Growing up can be a bitter pill to swallow.

Take Your Time

The plaintive ending of The Yearling echoes that of Peter Pan: growing up is an inevitable, melancholy loss. Looking at it from the far side of coming-of-age, you and I know that there are joys as well as sorrows that come with maturity. It’s nothing to dread, but it’s nothing to rush. For those of us who guard little ones today, let’s enjoy the moments while they’re still “gay and innocent and heartless,” knowing that our fawns will be yearlings soon enough.