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Chapter 24
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Little Britches, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Fathers, Sons, and Growing Up
Honesty and Pride
Work and Society
Community, Resources, and Conflict
Home and the American West
Summary
Analysis
Ralph spends the afternoon helping Juan and Hi prep the chuck wagon and fill water casks. Fred Aultland shows up at Mr. Cooper’s ranch during dinner, and Ralph greets him. Hi and Fred talk, and Ralph goes to watch his colt in the corral. The name “Sky High” comes to him as he watches the horse’s coat shimmer in the setting sun, and he tells Hi that he has named the horse. Hi loves the name, and says, “by God,” he’ll name his own horse Sky Blue. Ralph reflects on how often people say, “by God,” and tries not to think about it to avoid saying it by accident. Before leaving, Fred promises not to tell Ralph’s parents about him riding Sky High.
Though having only just broke him, Ralph quickly begins to feel a sense of ownership over the blue roan colt. To solidify his claim, Ralph names him Sky High, earning Hi’s approval. Though this pleases Ralph, he notes uneasily how often Hi and the other cowboys takes God’s name in vain. He knows his mother would disapprove of this and tries to suppress his own use of it, even in thought. As such, this incident highlights the lasting impact of his parent’s teaching while also underscoring the threat that new influences pose to those teachings.
Themes
The next morning, Mr. Cooper tells Ralph to ride Topsy and to stay with Juan and the wagons. Once out of sight of the house, however, Juan lets Ralph ride ahead with the riders. Ralph also discovers happily that Juan does not give him much work. For the first week, Hi brings Sky High with them to break him more and lets Ralph ride him for increasingly long stretches. On Saturday, Ralph heads home and realizes how homesick he has been. He tells his family about his experience but does not mention Sky High. Ralph can tell his father sees through him, however, and feels guilty.
Despite Mr. Cooper’s attempt to keep Ralph on a tight leash for the sake of his parents, the other farm hands feel no such responsibility. As such, Ralph enjoys unprecedented freedom, his days full of unsanctioned riding lessons with Hi on Sky High. Upon returning home, however, this deception proves troubling, with Ralph feeling guilty about lying to his family about Sky High. As is often the case, Ralph can tell his father knows he is hiding something—and Ralph’s guilt suggests he still wants to impress his father.
Themes
On Sunday, they have a picnic near Bear Creek and Ralph’s mother reads The Call of the Wild. Ralph and his father whittle a sailboat together, and Ralph’s father says that a “man’s life is like a boat:” “if he keeps his sail set right it doesn’t make too much difference which way the wind blows.” After a pause, he warns that the “current” at Mr. Cooper’s ranch might be strong. As Ralph leaves to return to the ranch, his father tells him to be a man and do what men do, but also to be good man and not take “foolish risks.”
Ralph’s father gives him life advice, seemingly aimed to warn Ralph against undue influence from the men at Mr. Cooper’s farm—i.e., the “strong current.” Unlike past advice, however, this advice is largely metaphorical and lacks specific criticism. This departure signals a shift in Ralph’s father approach to parenting from that of disciplinarian to mentor.
Themes
