44 pages • 1 hour read
Sheila BurnfordThe Incredible Journey
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1960A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Tools
BetaThemes
Domestic Pets: The Line Between the Human World and Wild Ancestry
Domestic pets beautifully straddle the line between the human world and their wild ancestry. There are many examples sprinkled throughout the narrative of Burnford delving into the ancestry of Bodger, Tao, and Luath. She details the way that the dogs feel roused and disturbed by the timber wolves that prowl nearby—as something primordial stirs within them in the presence of their ancient ancestor. She makes repeated references to Tao’s ability to adapt to wild life very easily—by virtue of his more-wild ancestry. However, the animal trio also sharply distinguish themselves from the wild environment through their connections to human beings, human psychology, and human life. For one, they love their human beings in a way that wild animals do not. Secondly, they are attributed nuanced human emotions by Burnford—while the wild animals, if given any emotional life, have very flat and one-dimensional emotions. These emotions guide their relationships with humans and their relationships with and loyalty to one another. So, while they can tap into certain wild gifts for survival from their wild ancestry, it is their inexorable progress toward their home with humans that ultimately animates them and separates them from the wilderness.
The Powerful Forces of Love, Loyalty, and Friendship
The powerful forces of love, loyalty, and friendship give both humans and animals the ability to press on through adversity and towards hope. This theme is most powerfully expressed through the animal character of Luath and the human character of Elizabeth. It is Luath’s determination to undertake a hundreds-mile-long trek through open wilderness, and back to his master, that animates the action of the entire book. His quiet resolve to face down any threat or obstacle in the pursuit of his home with humans powerfully expresses this theme and is the emotional center of the narrative. Also, the loving solidarity and support that the animals show to each other—fruits of years of living together in one loving home—sustain them during their difficult journey. Out of the humans, Elizabeth is the only one who never gives up on believing that the animals have survived and will find their way home. Her lone optimism is eventually proven right. Through this plot point, Burnford emphasizes that having faith in the power of love can be a sign of optimistic resilience, rather than blind hope.
The Pure Bond of Love with Pets
Children are uniquely capable of creating a singular, pure bond of love with their pets. This theme is most powerfully expressed through Peter’s special relationship with Bodger. Peter, having received Bodger at age 1, does not know life without the dog. His quiet remembrances of Bodger are written with great poignant detail. For example, he remembers the mischievous and clever way that the dog began hiding leather gloves when he did not like the game that Peter was enlisting him to complete with them. Although this is an ostensibly naughty action, Peter cannot help but smile at the memory. This is because the memory shows Bodger’s inimitable spirit and spunk, which Peter is uniquely able to sense and experience due to the intimacy of their relationship. Elizabeth’s relationship to Tao, and her unending optimism about his return, also demonstrates that children are uniquely able to access hope and love through their relationships with animals in a way that adults do not. Young Helvi Nurmi’s immediate enchantment with Tao, and urgent action taken in order to save the cat’s life, also demonstrates that children have a pure and tender-hearted engagement with animals that is less common among adults. By depicting these highly emotional and special relationships between animals and children, Burnford asserts that these relationships carry a singular magic.
