Big Red Book Report
Danny Pickett is a man who is too poor to afford one of Mr. Haggins champion Irish Setters. However, he is drawn close to a dog called Big Red. Their friendship builds up as they know each other. Their loyalty and courage are tested during various hunts such as when they fought against Old Majesty, a massive bear.
The setting of Big Red was in the woods of Wintapi, near New York. The plot can be determined because it is related to the setting. Since the setting is in the wilderness, the plot might be about the wild and the living things in the wild such as bears. It can hint what the plot might be about. The setting is where the plot takes place so it would emphasize what the overall problem is about. The plot in Big Red is about a massive bear and Danny Pickett for the setting is the wilderness in which wild animals live in.
The plot of Big Red was whether or not Danny and Red would build a bond between them and safely protect the Wintapi woods from wild animals and other dangers. The inciting incident was when Mr. Haggins let Danny take care of Big Red. However, when Danny took Red outside, he figured out that the Irish setter was not fit to be a varmint dog because Red showed that he liked chasing squirrels, rabbits, and birds. Seeing this, Danny decided to train Red to be a partridge dog. The result of the inciting incident was that Danny lost hope in Red becoming a varmint dog, and made him only hunt little brown birds . However, during Red’s fight with the wolverine, Danny saw that the big Irish setter was loyal and would risk his life to protect him. Not only was Red a natural Patridge hunter, he was also brave and loyal. The climax of Big Red was when Danny and Red chased after Old Majesty for Ross. Danny learnt that he could do anything if he put his mind to it. He also realized that Red had so much heart that he cannot get rid of him. So it forced him to tell Mr. Haggins that he was keeping Red. The inciting incident and climax related because Red hunted down the bear for Ross, who was the most important person to Danny. Some major events could be Asa,the mule and the hounds being killed by Old Majesty, or Ross getting injured. These events forced Danny and Red to go out in the night to hunt down Old Majesty, the undefeated king of the Wintapi wilderness, because they needed to get revenge for Ross, the hounds, and Asa. With bravery, they killed Old Majesty.
The main characters in the story Big Red were Danny Picket and Red. Danny is Ross’s son. He learnt his trapping skills from Ross. At the beginning of the book, he did not have a lot of confidence in himself. But he became a man after killing Old Majesty. He learnt that he could do anything if he put his mind to it. Big Red was Mr. Haggins’s champion Irish setter. He became a real champion in the dog shows and was Danny’s best friend. Danny and Red impacted the story because they were the ones that solved the problem and got revenge for Ross. The main protagonist was Danny Picket. He learnt how to have confidence in himself and became a man at the end of the book. The main antagonist was Old Majesty, the massive bear, because he was the enemy of everyone in the Wintapi forest. It was everyone’s goal to kill him for good. Old Majesty killed many people and animals but finally Danny Picket succeeded in killing the bear. A key supporting character is Ross. Ross was Danny’s father. He had three varmint hounds he liked to hunt with. He knew a lot about the wilderness ,trapping, and hunting. He taught Danny his ways of life and wanted him to become a hunter too. His personality changed a lot in the book. At first, Ross wanted Red to be a varmint dog. He thought that Danny did not know what was best for Red. But in the end he gained respect for Danny and wanted Red to be a partridge dog. Another key supporting character is Mr. Haggins. He was a very rich man and owned the Wintapi estate. He was the real owner of Red. He let Danny be his caretaker for the dog because he knew Danny knew a lot about dogs. At the end of the book, he gave Red to Danny for free because he saw how Danny’s and Red’s relationship changed him into a better person. Danny would be the best Challenger student because he was well disciplined and honest. Old Majesty would be the worst Challenger student because he was ill disciplined and full of hatred. He was the boss of himself and cared about nobody besides himself.
The major themes of Big red were friendship, loyalty, courage, and doing what you believe was right. Red and Danny had a strong friendship that bonded them together. They helped each other when they were in trouble. One example was when Danny was hurt and a cat varmint was nearby stalking him. Red barked ferociously and scared the varmint away. Danny’s and Red’s loyalty and courage was tested when they faced the bear and Danny was brave enough to tell Mr. Haggins the truth about Red being injured. He did what he believed was right when he knew that he had to kill Old Majesty. He did not hesitate and took action.
This book was about Danny Picket and Red bonding with each other. Danny became more manly along the way. His loyalty with Red was tested as they survived the fierce snowstorm and killed Old Majesty. My favorite part of the story was when Big Red killed the bear and got revenge for Ross because it showed that he was brave. I learnt that friendship was very important and that you could do anything if you put your mind to it. My least favorite part was when the hounds died because they were veterans of many battles and were finally killed by a bear. It was very sad. I would recommend this book because it showed the value of friendship and having confidence in yourself.