Plot Summary
The Spark of a Lifelong Memory
The story begins with the narrator, a grown man in Idaho, breaking up a dog fight to save a lone redbone hound. The dog is old, starved, and has traveled a long way, with the name “Buddie” scratched into his collar. The sight of the hound triggers a flood of powerful memories from the narrator’s boyhood in the Ozarks. After caring for the dog for a day, he lets it continue its journey home, knowing a hunting hound cannot be penned. The encounter sends him back in time, to a story centered around two trophy cups—one gold, one silver—on his mantelpiece.
The Dog-Wanting Disease
As a ten-year-old boy named Billy Colman, living in a log cabin in the Ozark Mountains of Oklahoma, he is consumed by a “terrible disease”—the desperate desire for two redbone coonhounds. His family is poor, and his father, a farmer, cannot afford the high price of good hunting dogs. Billy’s pleas to his parents are met with gentle refusals; they simply don’t have the money. The yearning becomes an ache that affects his sleep and appetite, but he understands his family’s financial struggles.
Inspired by a Bible verse, “God helps those who help themselves,” and an advertisement for registered redbone pups in a sportsman’s magazine he finds at an abandoned fishermen’s camp, Billy resolves to earn the money himself. For two long years, he works tirelessly:
* He sells bait, crawfish, and vegetables to fishermen along the Illinois River.
* He picks berries and sells them at his grandfather’s store.
* He runs a trapline in the winter, selling the furs of opossums and skunks.
He saves every nickel and dime in an old K.C. Baking Powder can hidden in the barn loft. Finally, after two years of relentless effort, he has the fifty dollars needed.
A Journey to Town and a Night of Terror
Billy takes his money to his grandfather, who is stunned by the boy’s determination. Grandpa agrees to order the pups from the kennel in Kentucky but warns Billy that they will only be shipped as far as the depot in Tahlequah, a town over twenty miles away. When the notice arrives, Billy is too impatient to wait a week for a ride. He packs some food and walks through the Ozark hills by himself, navigating by the stars and the landscape.
In Tahlequah, the small country boy is overwhelmed by the size of the town and the crowds. He experiences the world outside his home for the first time, seeing his own reflection, getting into a fight with town kids who mock him as a “hillbilly,” and being rescued by the kind town marshal. After buying gifts for his family, he goes to the depot and finally meets his two puppies. Overjoyed, he begins the long walk home, carrying them in a gunny sack.
Night falls in the Sparrow Hawk Mountains, and Billy makes camp in a cave. He is awakened by the terrifying scream of a mountain lion. Though terrified himself, Billy witnesses the incredible courage of his male pup, who, despite his tiny size, stands at the mouth of the cave and bawls a challenge to the predator. This moment forges an unbreakable bond of respect between boy and dog.
Naming the Hounds and the First Hunt
Returning to the same fishermen’s camp where his quest began, Billy sees a heart carved into a sycamore tree with two names inside: “Dan” and “Ann.” He knows instantly that these are the perfect names for his pups. He names the bold, strong male Old Dan and the smaller, intelligent female Little Ann.
Back home, his family is relieved and overjoyed, forgiving his unannounced departure. Billy then faces the challenge of training his dogs. With a coonskin he cleverly traps using a method his grandpa taught him, he spends months teaching Old Dan and Little Ann every trick a coon might pull. Their first official hunt leads them to “the big tree,” a colossal sycamore that seems impossible to chop down. Billy, having promised his dogs he would do his part if they treed a coon, refuses to give up. He chops for days, his hands blistering and his body aching. On the brink of collapse, he prays for strength, and a mysterious, localized wind blows the giant tree over. This victory solidifies his and his dogs’ reputations.
A Legendary Hunting Team
Billy and his hounds become a legendary hunting team in the Ozarks. Old Dan is the brawn—fearless, powerful, and relentless on a trail. Little Ann is the brains—cautious, uncannily intelligent, and able to unravel the most complex tricks pulled by wily coons. Their teamwork is flawless, and their devotion to each other and to Billy is absolute. Several key incidents highlight their unique bond and skills:
* The Icy River: During a hunt on a freezing night, Little Ann falls through the ice into the river. As she is about to drown, Billy, in a moment of desperate prayer and inspiration, uses the handle of his lantern to fashion a hook on a long pole and pulls her to safety.
* The Ghost Coon: Billy is goaded into a two-dollar bet with the cruel and disliked Pritchard boys to tree the local “ghost coon,” a legendary animal no dog has ever been able to hold. Little Ann’s superior intelligence allows her to solve the coon’s final trick: hiding in a hollow gatepost. Billy, feeling a strange respect for the animal, decides not to kill it. This leads to a tragic confrontation. The Pritchards’ dog, Old Blue, attacks Old Dan. Little Ann joins the fray to protect her partner. In the chaos, the older Pritchard brother, Rubin, trips on Billy’s ax while trying to kill his dogs and is fatally wounded. The event leaves Billy deeply traumatized.
The Championship Hunt
To help Billy heal from the trauma of Rubin’s death, Grandpa enters the dogs in a championship coon hunt. The event is a grand affair, drawing the best hunters and hounds from all over the country. Billy, his father, and Grandpa attend. The hunt unfolds in a series of triumphs:
* The Beauty Contest: To Grandpa’s delight, Little Ann wins the best-looking hound competition, earning a small silver cup.
* The Final Night: On the final night of the hunt, with the championship on the line, a fierce blizzard rolls in. Billy, his father, and Grandpa become separated and lost. Grandpa falls and severely injures his ankle. The dogs, meanwhile, are lost in the storm but have treed a coon. Billy refuses to abandon them. He finds them the next morning covered in ice but alive; they had run in circles around the tree all night to keep from freezing.
* Victory: They win the championship, the coveted gold cup, and a jackpot of over $300 in prize money.
The Devil Cat of the Ozarks
The family’s happiness is short-lived. A few weeks after the hunt, Billy and his dogs are hunting in the mountains when they tree a mountain lion. The ferocious cat attacks, lunging for Billy. In an act of supreme loyalty, Old Dan and Little Ann throw themselves between the lion and their master. A savage, brutal battle ensues. Billy, wielding his ax, joins the fight to save his dogs. He manages to land a fatal blow on the lion, but not before Old Dan is disemboweled by the cat’s claws.
The Deaths of Old Dan and Little Ann
Billy carries the mortally wounded Old Dan home, but his injuries are too severe. He dies, leaving a void in the family and in Little Ann’s heart. Without her lifelong companion, Little Ann loses her will to live. She refuses to eat and wastes away. A few days later, Billy finds her dead, having dragged herself to Old Dan’s grave to die by his side.
The Sacred Red Fern
Heartbroken and questioning his faith, Billy buries Little Ann next to Old Dan. The prize money from the hunt is enough for the family to finally achieve their dream of moving to town so the children can get a proper education. The deaths of the dogs, Papa explains, were God’s way of ensuring the family would not be separated, as they had planned to leave Billy behind with his dogs for a time.
On the day the family leaves the Ozarks forever, Billy goes to say a final goodbye at the graves. There, growing between the two small mounds, is a beautiful, sacred red fern. Billy recalls an old Indian legend that says red ferns are planted by angels and that the spot where one grows is sacred ground. Seeing the fern brings him peace and understanding. He finally accepts the loss, knowing his dogs are together in a sacred place. He leaves his childhood home behind, but the memory of his dogs, and the red fern, will remain with him forever.
Characters
Billy Colman
The story’s protagonist and narrator. Billy is defined by his immense capacity for love and his unwavering determination. His two-year struggle to earn money for his dogs showcases a grit and maturity far beyond his years. He shares a deep, almost spiritual connection with the natural world of the Ozarks and an even deeper bond with his hounds, Old Dan and Little Ann, whom he understands as if they could speak. Billy’s journey is one of coming of age, as he confronts hardship, joy, violence, and profound loss, ultimately learning difficult lessons about life, death, and faith.
Old Dan
The male hound, characterized by his brute strength, boundless courage, and simple-minded determination. Old Dan is a warrior in spirit; he is fearless in a fight and relentless on a coon’s trail. However, he often relies on Little Ann’s intelligence to solve problems. His greatest trait is his absolute loyalty to both Little Ann and Billy. He is belligerent and tough on the outside but has a deeply affectionate nature, famously refusing to eat until Little Ann has her share. His life is a testament to raw courage and devotion.
Little Ann
The female hound, and the smaller of the two. What she lacks in size and strength, she more than makes up for in intelligence, cunning, and grace. She is the strategist of the pair, able to unravel the most clever tricks of a cornered coon. Little Ann is sweet-tempered, playful, and incredibly perceptive, sharing an almost psychic bond with Billy. Her cleverness is matched only by her loyalty; she is devoted to Old Dan, saving his life on multiple occasions, and her love for Billy is gentle and constant. Her death is a result of a broken heart, demonstrating the profound depth of her bond with Old Dan.
Grandpa
Billy’s grandfather is his biggest champion and a key catalyst in his life. He is a kind, energetic, and slightly mischievous storekeeper who sees and nurtures the determination in his grandson. It is Grandpa who orders the pups, encourages Billy’s hunting, teaches him tricks of the trade, and enters him in the championship hunt. He is prone to bragging about his grandson’s accomplishments, and his unwavering belief in Billy and his dogs helps propel them to greatness.
Papa
Billy’s father is a quiet, hardworking farmer who embodies patience, wisdom, and understated strength. While initially unable to buy Billy the dogs, he respects his son’s hard work and supports his passion for hunting. Papa serves as Billy’s moral compass, teaching him about responsibility, fairness, and the nature of manhood. He is a man of deep, quiet faith who helps Billy make sense of the story’s most tragic events, offering a perspective that connects personal loss to a larger, divine plan.
Mama
Billy’s mother is the loving, protective heart of the family. She is a woman of strong faith who constantly worries about Billy’s safety in the dangerous woods at night. Despite her fears, she understands the depth of her son’s love for his dogs and doesn’t stand in his way. Her primary dream is to move her family to town for a better life and education, a dream that is ultimately fulfilled through the success of the very dogs she worried so much about.
Core Themes
Love and Devotion
This is the central theme of the novel, explored most powerfully through the three-way bond between Billy, Old Dan, and Little Ann. Their love is selfless, unconditional, and absolute. The dogs’ devotion to Billy is so complete that they sacrifice their lives to save him from the mountain lion. The bond between Old Dan and Little Ann is equally profound; they are inseparable partners who function as a single unit, and ultimately, one cannot live without the other. This theme extends to the quiet, steadfast love within Billy’s family, which supports him through his greatest joys and deepest sorrows.
Determination and Coming of Age
The story is a classic bildungsroman, charting Billy’s journey from a boy with a simple dream to a young man forged by hard work and tragedy. His two-year quest to save money for his pups is an early testament to his incredible resolve. This determination is further tested when he single-handedly chops down the giant sycamore, refusing to let his dogs down. Through his experiences—the triumphs of the hunt, the responsibility of caring for his dogs, and the confrontation with death—Billy learns about sacrifice, courage, and the painful realities of life, emerging with a mature understanding of the world.
Man and Nature
The Ozark mountains are more than just a setting; they are a living character in the story. The wilderness is portrayed as a place of immense beauty and wonder, but also of harsh, unforgiving danger. Billy possesses a deep, innate connection to this world. He understands its rhythms, respects its power, and thrives within it. Nature provides him with his livelihood and passion, but it also delivers his greatest challenges and ultimate heartbreak, teaching him that life and death are intertwined parts of the natural cycle.
Faith and Divine Intervention
Faith is a quiet but persistent force throughout the narrative. Billy’s quest begins with a simple prayer, and he often turns to God in moments of desperation. The story is filled with events that can be interpreted as miracles or acts of divine will: the mysterious wind that fells the sycamore, the falling lantern handle that inspires Little Ann’s rescue from the icy river, and, most significantly, the appearance of the sacred red fern on the dogs’ graves. Papa articulates this theme directly, suggesting that the dogs were a gift from God to answer Mama’s prayers for a better life, and their deaths were part of a larger plan to keep the family together.
Plot Devices
Framing Story
The novel uses a framing device, beginning and ending with the narrator as an adult looking back on his childhood. This structure casts the entire story as a poignant, powerful memory. It establishes a tone of nostalgia and reflection from the outset and provides a sense of closure at the end, showing how these formative events shaped the man he became. The adult perspective emphasizes the enduring impact of the love and loss he experienced.
Anthropomorphism
While the dogs’ actions are rooted in animal behavior, they are described with a level of intelligence, emotion, and understanding that borders on human. Little Ann in particular displays an uncanny perception, seemingly reading Billy’s mind and emotions. This personification is crucial to the story’s emotional depth. It allows the reader to see the dogs not merely as animals or tools for hunting, but as complex, individual characters with rich inner lives, making their bond with Billy and their ultimate fate all the more powerful and heartbreaking.
Symbolism
- The Red Fern: The most significant symbol in the book, the red fern represents divine peace, love, and sacredness. According to the Indian legend Billy recalls, it can only be planted by an angel and marks a hallowed spot. Its appearance on the dogs’ graves provides a sense of spiritual closure for Billy, transforming a place of grief into one of beauty and meaning. It symbolizes that the love between him and his dogs was so pure that it has been sanctified.
- The Cups (Gold and Silver): These trophies are tangible symbols of achievement, hard work, and excellence. The silver cup, won by Little Ann for her beauty, represents her grace and spirit. The gold cup, won through their combined efforts in the championship hunt, symbolizes the pinnacle of their success as a team. On the narrator’s mantelpiece in the framing story, they serve as the physical keys that unlock the powerful memories of his past.
