Old Yeller

Themes of the importance of friendship and family begin to emerge in these chapters as, with the help of Old Yeller, Travis grows in self-awareness and maturity. These inner developments are evident in Travis’s shift in feelings towards Little Arliss and Old Yeller. Travis admits he “didn’t have a lot of use for him,” but after nearly losing his brother, Travis realizes that he deeply loves Little Arliss (54). Previously, Travis viewed Little Arliss as a “noisy pest” (55). While Little Arliss is annoying, Travis, given his newly awakened feelings for his brother, now recognizes his own responsibilities as role model. He begins sharing his knowledge and experience: including taking Little Arliss on a squirrel hunt for the first time.

Travis acknowledges that he could not have saved his brother from the bear, revealing his appreciation and his newfound love for Old Yeller (54), as well as Travis’s own limitations. Old Yeller proves that he is loyal, affectionate, and useful, and Travis allows himself to bond with the dog. Yeller becomes indispensable, and helps Travis fulfill his responsibilities as man of the house. Thanks to Old Yeller’s help, the family’s corn crop—their source of bread flour for the next year—is saved. Old Yeller also lets Travis enjoy the fun of being a teenage boy. Travis notes, “we had us a good time” running the varmints out of the crops (73), and that Yeller kept him from being “lonesome” (74). Travis shows his love for the dog in his efforts to keep him from raiding—and being shot—by letting him sleep with him and Little Arliss.

When Yeller’s rightful owner, Burn Sanderson, arrives to claim him, Travis recognizes how much the family needs Yeller for help and protection. Travis also understands how much he loves Yeller. While Travis avoids crying—something he views as a childish, and “unmanly” weakness—when his father leaves, relief in keeping Yeller brings him to tears.

Travis shows his coming of age in other ways. Travis tries to separate his developing adult identity from his childhood. He scoffs at Little Arliss’s tall tales but stops complaining when Mama reminds him that he did the same thing as a child. Although privately scared of hydrophobia, Travis asserts that he can fulfill a man’s role, earning him Burn Sanderson’s approval. Travis also shows a developing interest in girls. Lisbeth’s clear gaze makes him feel “jumpy” (61) and he admires her white hair and quiet way of observing.

Travis’s opinion of Lisbeth reflects a traditional division of gender roles. Women are viewed as the caretakers and nurturers of the family, while men provide and protect. Travis approves of Lisbeth because, while she watches and admires boys’ contests, she does not try to participate in male activities, or “take over and boss things” (60). She knows her place. Men in this cultural climate believed that women need to be sheltered and protected and that it is their masculine role to do so. Bud Searcy styles himself a defender of the womenfolk and children during the men’s absence, though Mama thinks he is “shiftless” (60), and clearly proves herself a harder worker than Searcy. Burn Sanderson also displays this attitude towards women. He initially offers to loan Yeller to Mama until her “man comes” (82), because he thinks that the family is unprotected, and he speaks privately to Travis about the hydrophobia so as not to worry Mama. Mama is the nurturer. Gipson, however, shows that Mama is more than a fabulous cook: She has as much strength of character as Papa. She saves Travis from the bulls, and she once shot and injured a hog-killing bear. Although gender roles are traditionally defined, on the frontier, everyone needs a core of courage.

These chapters heavily foreshadow Yeller’s death. Travis jokes that he will laugh when someone shoots Yeller for stealing; although he knows he would not. Ironically, Travis will be the one to shoot Yeller. The looming threat of hydrophobia is introduced by Bud Searcy and underscored by Sanderson. Hydrophobia is a term for the disease that is now called rabies. Meaning “fear of water,” hydrophobia is a symptom of rabies: humans and animals who contract the disease have painful throat spasms when swallowing that make them fear taking a drink of water. Sanderson is correct: rabies is transmitted from the saliva of an infected animal bite or scratch. Symptoms include inflammation of the brain, confusion, fever, violent movements, and madness. Once the symptoms show, death is nearly inevitable. Today, vaccinations protect household pets and their owners from rabies. At the time of Old Yeller, nothing could prevent, or cure, the disease.