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Chapter 26
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
Hi tells Ralph of trouble at his family’s farm, explaining that the upstream ranchers have broken his father’s ditch boxes and are stealing water. Ralph’s father plans to take them to court, and Hi recommends his father start carrying a gun. Ralph wants to run home to warn his father, but Hi makes him wait the week and work. On Saturday, Hi and Ralph leave for his parents’ house on their roans, and Hi gives Ralph a .45, reasoning that his father will be more likely to borrow it from Ralph than from himself. On their way there, Ralph notices how dry his family’s farm is from the water shortage.
Hi proves to be more than just a mentor to Ralph, but a true friend, warning him that his father may be in danger and offering to teach him to defend himself. This illustrates the depth of Hi’s affection for Ralph, as well as his inherent sense of justice. Ralph, meanwhile, demonstrates his familial loyalty when he wants to go home early. But Hi encourages Ralph to essentially follow his father’s advice to give his employer a full day’s work, thereby continuing Ralph’s father’s project of molding Ralph into an honest employee.
Themes
When they arrive, Hi has Ralph show off for his family, racing around their house and doing tricks. Ralph’s family is impressed and proud, and Ralph’s father compliments Hi on his training of Ralph. He looks the closest to bubbly that Ralph has ever seen, and Ralph feels proud. Ralph’s father asks about his gun, and Ralph explains that he does not know how to shoot it but might need it for wolves. Hi suggests that Ralph’s father hold on to it for him until he can teach Ralph how to use it, and Ralph’s father accepts. Ralph’s mother scrambles to prepare dinner, and afterward Ralph declines coffee to hide that he had been drinking it at Mr. Cooper’s.
With Hi’s visit to his home, Ralph’s two worlds suddenly collide. Despite Ralph’s looming concerns over his father’s and family’s safety and well-being, Hi ensures the start to the visit is a positive one, pushing Ralph to show off his new skills to his family for the first time. This is strategic of Hi, as it not only sets a positive tone for an otherwise tension-filled visit, distracting Ralph’s from his worries, but also wins Hi the approval and trust of Ralph’s family.
Themes
After coffee, Hi teaches Ralph and his father how to shoot. He has them start by throwing rocks at a can, explaining that it’s most useful for them to learn how to take quick accurate shots than take time to aim. When they transition to using the real gun, Ralph’s father proves to be a good shot, hitting four or five shots out of 10 shots to Ralph’s one or two. He has more trouble when pulling the gun directly from the holster, but at the end Hi tells Ralph that his father has a lot of promise.
Hi instructs Ralph’s father in shooting. Although unspoken, a tacit understanding quickly emerges between the Ralph, his father, and Hi, with Hi largely ignoring Ralph while he teaches his father how to shoot. While none of them want to admit the true reason for the shooting practice (the untrustworthy upstream ranchers), everyone is clearly on the same page.
Themes
Back inside, Ralph’s mother gives Hi a pan of fudge to bring to Mr. Cooper’s. The next morning, Ralph asks his father about the ditch fight and his father reassures him that everything will be fine. They spend the day at the creek, and Ralph’s mother recites Thanatopsis, emphasizing the line, “So live, that when thy summons comes” to Ralph. Ralph waits until after milking to leave, enjoying the alone time with his father. Ralph’s father helps him saddle Sky High before leaving, not condescendingly, but as he would for Fred or another man. Before leaving, Ralph’s father tells him how proud he is of his training of Sky High and says, “So long, Partner.”
Ralph’s father refuses to acknowledge any danger to his person, even when Ralph questions him about the irrigation court battles. This exemplifies Ralph’s father habit of keeping things close to his chest, likely to prevent Ralph from worrying. This suggests that, while Ralph’s relationship with his father may have shifted away from a parent-child dynamic, Ralph’s father still harbors a protective instinct for his son. As of yet, Ralph has not gained his father’s complete confidence.
Themes
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