Billy lives on his parents' farm in an isolated part of the Ozarks and has more contact with the animals in the forest than with other people. After working hard to buy and train them, Billy becomes a champion raccoon hunter with the help of his dogs. study To be fair, Billy doesn't have a lot to compare this scenery to—but it sure sounds beautiful, and he sure loves it. So if he's happy when he's in the woods how does he feel about town? - History, Reliability & Accuracy, Integrating the Five Language Domains to Promote Literacy, Plant Cell Mitochondria: Structure & Role, Hematologic Malignancies & Solid Tumors: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment, Quiz & Worksheet - Domestic vs. International Law, Quiz & Worksheet - Dramatic Arts & Ancient Rome, Quiz & Worksheet - Proportional Relationships, Quiz & Worksheet - Physics in Space & Science Technology, Flashcards - Real Estate Marketing Basics, Flashcards - Promotional Marketing in Real Estate. Where the Red Fern Grows is set in the Ozark Mountains on Cherokee land in northeastern Oklahoma during the Great Depression. imaginable degree, area of Order our Where the Red Fern Grows Study Guide, teaching or studying Where the Red Fern Grows. What is Project-Based Learning? Rawls based the story on his own childhood in rural Oklahoma. just create an account. The one time we see Billy unsure of himself is when he goes into town to pick up his dogs. It is set in the past, particularly the 1920s, as adult Billy remembers the most important and formative time of his childhood. 's' : ''}}. © 2020 Shmoop University Inc | All Rights Reserved | Privacy | Legal. What is the setting of Where the Red Fern Grows? Log in here for access. everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Where the Red Fern Grows. But other than some old-fashioned words about buggies, historical trends don't intrude too much on Billy's childhood. He comes across a group of dogs attacking a stray and chases them off. Their home is nestled deep in the heart of nature. Earn Transferable Credit & Get your Degree. Sounds a lot like paradise to us, and Billy feels the same way too. His grandfather, a driving force and constant source of encouragement to Billy, runs a country general store and mill. Log in or sign up to add this lesson to a Custom Course. The opening frame story takes place in 'present day,' or around the time the book was published in 1961. As mentioned earlier, the opening frame story takes place in Idaho where the adult Billy is working, but the main story takes place in Billy's childhood home in the Ozark Mountains of Oklahoma. Where the Red Fern Grows is set in the Ozark Mountains on Cherokee land in northeastern Oklahoma during the Great Depression. flashcard set, {{courseNav.course.topics.length}} chapters | This means that it actually has two settings. Study.com has thousands of articles about every Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. David has a Master's in English literature. courses that prepare you to earn Setting is an important element of the story in Where the Red Fern Grows. Today Where the Red Fern Grows is required reading in many American schools. Get the unbiased info you need to find the right school. This means the time period the book is set in is important. Create an account to start this course today. And the place, the rural hills of the Ozarks in Oklahoma, is also important. No wonder he runs back to the woods as soon as he can. 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Setting refers to when and where a story takes place. We aren't given an exact date by Rawls, but get out your calculators and you'll see that the 1920s would be a safe guess, since there's talk of bootlegging and raccoon coats. The rest of the novel consists of him telling the story of raising his cherished coon dogs. Although sales of the novel began slowly, by 1974 over 90,000 copies had been sold. Select a subject to preview related courses: Due to Billy's isolation from other people, Old Dan and Little Ann become his best friends and he develops a close special relationship with them. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. [The house] was in a beautiful valley far back in the rugged Ozarks. He has taught college English for 5+ years. And the main story most likely takes place in the 1920s, when Rawls would have been around Billy's age. The forest of Billy's childhood is so important that it's practically a character in its own right. Visit the Where the Red Fern Grows Study Guide page to learn more. 23 lessons No dates are given in the novel, but since we know that Rawls based the experience on his own childhood, we can estimate rough dates for when the book takes place. This rural setting is key to the story, as Billy explores the wilderness with his dogs and learns respect for the power of nature. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. He is often confronted with life and death situations, like near-drownings, dangerous animals, and heavy snowstorms. His mom is rightly concerned about Billy being in the woods by himself at night. You can test out of the Sciences, Culinary Arts and Personal It lay in a strip from the foothills of the mountains to the banks of the Illinois River in northeastern Oklahoma. Services. Create your account, Already registered? Billy Coleman's father farms the land. Rawls based the story on his own childhood in rural Oklahoma. 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