The Yearling/Peacebuilder Essay

Jody Baxter was a simple, backwoods boy.  He had very little education, lived in the same area his entire life, and did not live in a populated area.  Yet, he was still able to learn important life skills and how to interact and deal with people.  This is shown through his maturity and actions.  Jody, and his family, learned how to praise people, notice hurts, and right wrongs.
     
Jody’s father, Penny, was a great teacher of noticing things people have done and congratulating them on it.  During hunts, Penny was always quick to notice when Jody had done a good job.  While Penny was hunting wolves with Jody and the Foresters, he made Jody feel very proud by telling him that he had done it right and that he had helped make it a success.   Penny also praised Jody because he had planted the crops and done such a good job in the fields.  Jody learned to make people feel better because of the accomplishments they have done.  This was not the only thing Penny taught.  He also taught his son how to see when something was wrong.
     
Penny Baxter was very good at noticing when something was not right with a person.  He could tell when Oliver, his friend, had been hurt, and later angered, about Lem Forester courting Twink Weatherby.  Since he was able to tell that something was the matter, he was able to get there in time and save Oliver.  The Foresters and Jody also made each other feel better after Fodder-wing’s death.  If they hadn’t noticed how each other were feeling and done simple acts of kindness, they would all have had a harder time coping with the death.  They were able to forgive each other countless times, even though they were often very cruel.
       
After the Oliver incident, the Foresters and Baxters had some struggles, but they forgave each other and helped one another.  A rattlesnake bit Penny, and Buck Forester got a doctor, planted crops, and assisted around the farm, until Penny recovered from the bite.  Their families had been fighting and the Foresters had stolen the Baxter’s hogs.  Buck made sure they were returned, and he made up for all of the things that had happened since the fight.  On a different occasion, Flag, Jody’s pet deer, destroyed the Baxter’s fields.  Penny allowed Jody to replant the crops and make up for the things his pet had done.  Jody was more than willing to do these things, and this shows that he wanted to correct his mistakes.  The greatest example of making something better occurred in the last few pages.  After Flag was killed, Jody ran away.  He didn’t think he could trust his parents, and he was lost (“running away”) for a long time.  When he returned home, his father was there.  Penny was very excited to see him, and he made sure that Jody knew that he was still loved and he was forgiven for what had happened.
     
Even though Jody did not experience going to school or living in a large community, he was still able to learn important qualities that could help him throughout life.  He learned mostly from the example of his father that it’s important to make people feel good, recognize when something’s wrong, and make up for mistakes that have been made.  It doesn’t take a teacher to learn these things.  It does take good examples and experiencing life, which is what was Jody’s experience.