The Light in the Forest
Conrad Richter
True SonProtagonist.15-years-old.Raised by the Lenni Lenape
tribe for 11 years.Rebellious and passionate
Cuyloga
Brave, fair, stoic warrior.Deeply loves his white son.True Son’s hero.
Del Hardy
20-year-old soldier.Sympathetic toward True
Son.Believes in superiority of
whites.
Uncle Wilse
White supremacist.Leader of the Paxton Boys.True Son’s uncle.Stubborn and passionate.
Harry Butler
True Son’s white father.Weak, pale, insignificant.Endured extraordinary guilt.
Half Arrow
True Son’s cousin.Overconfident and
naïve.
Colonel Bouquet
Military leader who forces the return of the white prisoners.
Myra Butler
True Son’s white mother.
Views his mother as disgraceful b/c she does not work.
Little Crane
True Son’s friend.Deeply in love with his
white wife.
GordieTrue Son’s naïve younger
brother.Symbolizes hope for the white
man.Represents innocent children
who are destroyed by the racial war.
Aunt Kate
Opinionated white aunt.Does not trust True Son
and has anger for the boy.
Thitpan
Name means “bitter”.Little Crane’s brother.Bloodthirsty and
ruthless.
Indian Freedom vs. White Civilization
Natural, free world vs. restricting “civilized” domain.
Indians roam the land free of burdens.
Whites concerned with creating stable settlements.
Victimization of ChildrenTragic effects of frontier life
on children.They become victims of racial
violence.Taught how to hate by their
elders.
Struggle for Identity
White teenager raised by Indians then forced to return to white family.
Search for true identity.
Imperfection of Both Indian and White Societies
Both sides committed horrific deeds.
White claim to be Christian but they kill innocent people; same as Indians.
Fort Pitt
Gloomy, dark structure.Restrictive white
culture.
English Clothes
Lying, deceitful, and murderous ways of white people.
Point of View
3rd Person Omniscient
Setting
1764-1765Ohio-western, Pa.Indian village of Tuscarawas
and white settlement of Paxton Township.
Protagonist
True Son a.k.a. John Cameron Butler
Major Conflict
1: True Son’s fight against restrictive customs of white family.
2: True Son’s internal struggle to find true identity.