Old Yeller

by

Fred Gipson

Travis Coates’s father, whom he calls Papa, is absent for much of the novel, yet his presence looms large in his family’s mind. At the start of Old Yeller, Papa heads off for Abilene, Kansas on a lengthy cattle drive and leaves Travis in charge of all his tasks on the ranch. Travis sees his father as the ultimate emblem of masculinity and strives to emulate his father’s actions and influence over the family. With every task Travis accomplishes, he thinks of what Papa would say or do in any given situation. He’s guided by the lessons Papa has taught him about fear being natural, about the animal world being fearsome and worthy of respect, and about true masculinity being tied to responsibility and grit. Papa returns from his cattle drive to find his family in shambles: Old Yeller, the dog who stepped in as a protector in Papa’s absence, is dead, and Travis and Little Arliss are both devastated by the loss. Papa tries to congratulate Travis on doing a good job taking care of the family and the ranch in spite of Old Yeller’s death, but he fails to adequately comfort Travis or make him feel better. Papa’s confusing advice to Travis is to forget about what has happened and “go on being a man,” offering Travis an opportunity to at last challenge his father’s concept of masculinity as the ability to soldier on numbly through whatever comes. Though Papa appears in the novel only briefly, his ideas inform Travis’s ideas and thus make his perspective a central part of the story.

Papa Quotes in Old Yeller

The Old Yeller quotes below are all either spoken by Papa or refer to Papa. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
People and Animals Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

"What you're needing worse than a horse is a good dog."

"Yessir," I said, "but a horse is what I'm wanting the worst."

"All right," he said. "You act a man's part while I'm gone, and I'll see that you get a man's horse to ride when I sell the cattle. I think we can shake on that deal."

He reached out his hand, and we shook. It was the first time I'd ever shaken hands like a man. It made me feel big and solemn and important in a way I'd never felt before. I knew then that I could handle whatever needed to be done while Papa was gone.

Related Characters: Travis Coates (speaker), Papa (speaker)
Page Number: 4
Explanation and Analysis:

A big diamond-back rattler struck at Papa and Papa chopped his head off with one quick lick of his scythe. The head dropped to the ground three or four feet away from the writhing body. It lay there, with the ugly mouth opening and shutting, still trying to bite something.

As smart as Bell was, you'd have thought he'd have better sense than to go up and nuzzle that rattler's head. But he didn't, and a second later, he was falling back, howling and slinging his own head till his ears popped. But it was too late then. […] He died that night, and I cried for a week.

Related Characters: Travis Coates (speaker), Papa, Bell
Related Symbols: The Rattlesnake Head
Page Number: 5
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 3 Quotes

I'd hit her but hadn't made a killing shot.

I didn't like that. I never minded killing for meat. Like Papa had told me, every creature has to kill to live. But to wound an animal was something else. Especially one as pretty and harmless as a deer. It made me sick to think of the doe's escaping, maybe to hurt for days before she finally died.

Related Characters: Travis Coates (speaker), Old Yeller, Papa
Page Number: 20
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 6 Quotes

That day when I saw [Little Arliss] in the spring, so helpless against the angry she bear, I learned different. I knew then that I loved him as much as I did Mama and Papa, maybe in some ways even a little bit more.

So it was only natural for me to come to love the dog that saved him.

After that, I couldn't do enough for Old Yeller. What if he was a big ugly meat-stealing rascal? […] None of that made a lick of difference now. He’d pitched in and saved Little Arliss when I couldn’t possibly have done it, and that was enough for me.

Related Characters: Travis Coates (speaker), Old Yeller, Little Arliss, Mama, Papa
Page Number: 43-44
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes

I didn't wait to hear any more. I ran off. I was so full of relief that I was about to pop. I knew that if I didn't get out of sight in a hurry, this Burn Sanderson was going to catch me crying.

Related Characters: Travis Coates (speaker), Old Yeller, Little Arliss, Papa, Burn Sanderson
Page Number: 68
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 9 Quotes

Papa had told me right from the start that fear was a right and natural feeling for anybody, and nothing to be ashamed of.

"It's a thing of your mind," he said, "and you can train your mind to handle it just like you can train your arm to throw a rock."

Put that way, it made sense to be afraid; so I hadn't bothered about that.

Related Characters: Travis Coates (speaker), Papa
Page Number: 78
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 13 Quotes

In a way, it sort of hurt my pride for a little old girl like Lisbeth to come in and take over my jobs. Papa had left me to look after things. But now I was laid up, and here was a girl handling my work about as good as I could. Still, she couldn't get out and mark hogs or kill meat or swing a chopping axe. . .

Related Characters: Travis Coates (speaker), Little Arliss, Mama, Papa, Lisbeth Searcy
Page Number: 106
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 14 Quotes

We couldn't leave the dead bull to lie there that close to the cabin. In a few days, the scent of rotting flesh would drive us out. Also, the carcass lay too close to the spring. Mama was afraid it would foul up our drinking water.

"We'll have to try to drag it further from the cabin and burn it," she said.

"Burn it?" I said in surprise. "Why can't we just leave it for the buzzards and varmints to clean up?"

"Because that might spread the sickness," Mama said. "If the varmints eat it, they might get the sickness, too."

Related Characters: Travis Coates (speaker), Mama (speaker), Papa, Chongo and Roany
Related Symbols: Hydrophobia (Rabies)
Page Number: 114
Explanation and Analysis:

I went off to the spring after a bucket of fresh water and wondered when Papa would come back. Mama had said a couple of days ago that it was about that time, and I hoped so. […] This hydrophobia plague had me scared. I'd handled things pretty well until that came along. Of course, I'd gotten a pretty bad hog cut, but that could have happened to anybody, even a grown man. And I was about to get well of that. But if the sickness got more of our cattle, I wouldn't know what to do.

Related Characters: Travis Coates (speaker), Old Yeller, Mama, Papa, Lisbeth Searcy, Spot
Related Symbols: Hydrophobia (Rabies)
Page Number: 119
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 15 Quotes

It was going to kill something inside me to do it, but I knew then that I had to shoot my big yeller dog.

Once I knew for sure I had it to do, I don't think I really felt anything. I was just numb all over, like a dead man walking.

Quickly, I left Mama and went to stand in the light of the burning bear grass. I reloaded my gun and called Old Yeller back from the house. I stuck the muzzle of the gun against his head and pulled the trigger.

Related Characters: Travis Coates (speaker), Old Yeller, Mama, Papa
Related Symbols: Hydrophobia (Rabies)
Page Number: 127
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 16 Quotes

Days went by, and I couldn’t seem to get over it. I couldn’t eat. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't cry. I was all empty inside, but hurting. Hurting worse than I'd ever hurt in my life.

Related Characters: Travis Coates (speaker), Old Yeller, Papa
Related Symbols: Hydrophobia (Rabies)
Page Number: 129
Explanation and Analysis:

"Now the thing to do," he went on, "is to try to forget it and go on being a man."

"How?” I asked. "How can you forget a thing like that?"

He studied me for a moment, then shook his head. "I guess I don't quite mean that," he said. "It's not a thing you can forget. “

Related Characters: Travis Coates (speaker), Papa (speaker), Old Yeller
Page Number: 131
Explanation and Analysis:

I started to holler at them. I started to say: "Arliss! You get that nasty pup out of our drinking water."

Then I didn't. Instead, I went to laughing. I sat there and laughed till I cried. When all the time I knew that I ought to go beat them to a frazzle for messing up our drinking water.

Related Characters: Travis Coates (speaker), Little Arliss, Papa
Page Number: 132
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Old Yeller LitChart as a printable PDF.
Old Yeller PDF

Papa Character Timeline in Old Yeller

The timeline below shows where the character Papa appears in Old Yeller. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
Masculinity and Emotion Theme Icon
Coming of Age and Responsibility Theme Icon
...community of Salt Licks. Travis is 14 years old, and his father, whom he calls Papa, is heading out on a cattle drive to Abilene, Kansas in order to make some... (full context)
Masculinity and Emotion Theme Icon
Bravery vs. Fear Theme Icon
Coming of Age and Responsibility Theme Icon
After Papa says goodbye to Mama and Little Arliss, Travis walks him to his horse. Papa tells... (full context)
People and Animals Theme Icon
...bit Bell on the nose. Travis cried for a week when Bell died, and although Papa offered to get Travis a new dog, Travis couldn’t bear the thought of replacing Bell. (full context)
Masculinity and Emotion Theme Icon
Coming of Age and Responsibility Theme Icon
...the house. Mama, hearing the commotion, comes outside and asks what’s going on. Travis, using Papa’s trademark language, says he's going to “wear [Arliss] to a frazzle.” Mama smiles and urges... (full context)
Chapter 3
People and Animals Theme Icon
Masculinity and Emotion Theme Icon
Coming of Age and Responsibility Theme Icon
...animals flock to lick ancient rocks with sedimentary layers of salt inside. Using the knowledge Papa has taught him, Travis treads carefully in the dense woods, so that no deer will... (full context)
People and Animals Theme Icon
Masculinity and Emotion Theme Icon
Coming of Age and Responsibility Theme Icon
...her heart. Travis feels confident and strong—he’s gotten meat for the family, just like his Papa taught him. (full context)
Chapter 6
People and Animals Theme Icon
...realizes that he loves his little brother just as much as he loves Mama and Papa. Travis also begins to feel great affection for Old Yeller, the dog that saved his... (full context)
Chapter 7
People and Animals Theme Icon
Bravery vs. Fear Theme Icon
Coming of Age and Responsibility Theme Icon
...himself. Each night, Travis grows more and more grateful that Old Yeller came to stay. Papa, he realizes, was right: Travis needed a dog, and badly. (full context)
Chapter 8
People and Animals Theme Icon
Masculinity and Emotion Theme Icon
Bravery vs. Fear Theme Icon
Coming of Age and Responsibility Theme Icon
Burn senses Travis’s mounting fear. He urges Travis not to be afraid—after all, Travis’s Papa left him in charge, so Travis must be good at handling situations like this. Burn... (full context)
Chapter 9
People and Animals Theme Icon
Masculinity and Emotion Theme Icon
Bravery vs. Fear Theme Icon
Coming of Age and Responsibility Theme Icon
...at the first opportunity. Still, he has always had fun marking and castrating hogs with Papa, and he’s anxious to prove that he can do the task himself. (full context)
People and Animals Theme Icon
Masculinity and Emotion Theme Icon
Bravery vs. Fear Theme Icon
Coming of Age and Responsibility Theme Icon
...the tree, the hogs below will slash him apart. He feels afraid—but he remembers that Papa always told him that fear was a “right and natural” emotion and nothing to feel... (full context)
Chapter 14
People and Animals Theme Icon
Masculinity and Emotion Theme Icon
Coming of Age and Responsibility Theme Icon
...top of everything, Spot’s horrible moaning moos continue day and night. Travis is desperate for Papa to come home. (full context)
People and Animals Theme Icon
Masculinity and Emotion Theme Icon
Bravery vs. Fear Theme Icon
Coming of Age and Responsibility Theme Icon
...to get some water. As he walks, he reflects on the job he’s done while Papa has been away. He figures that, even with the problem of his leg, he’s done... (full context)
Chapter 16
Masculinity and Emotion Theme Icon
...Travis, but their words are no use. One night, it rains heavily—and the next morning, Papa arrives home with a horse for Travis. Travis acknowledges that the horse is beautiful, gentle,... (full context)
Masculinity and Emotion Theme Icon
Coming of Age and Responsibility Theme Icon
That evening, before supper, Papa and Travis take a walk down to the spring. Papa tells Travis he heard about... (full context)
People and Animals Theme Icon
Masculinity and Emotion Theme Icon
...Yeller. The puppy has stolen some cornbread from the kitchen. As Little Arliss screams and Papa laughs, Travis starts to feel better. He watches the puppy run around with the stolen... (full context)