Driven Back to Eden · Chapter
We Go A-Fishing explained
The family enjoys a day of fishing at Moodna Creek, with the children catching fish and exploring.
What happens
The family enjoys a day of fishing at Moodna Creek, with the children catching fish and exploring. After a minor grounding incident, they return home to a happy evening. The next day, Merton requests to plant melons, and the father devises a plan to interplant them with corn.
Themes in this chapter
Family and Parental Duty
The father organizes a fishing outing for the family's enjoyment and later accommodates the children's request to plant melons.
Self-Reliance and Hard Work
The boys take initiative to free the boat, and the family works together to plant melons in a creative way.
Community and Neighborliness
Mr. Jones agrees to look after the farm during the family's absence.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The father organizes the fishing trip and later agrees to plant melons.
- Merton
Goes fishing with Junior, helps free the boat, and later requests to plant melons.
- Junior
Joins the fishing trip and helps pull the boat off the sandbar.
- Bobsey
Nearly falls into a pool while fishing and catches a large sunfish.
- Winnie
Visits the chicken coops with the father after the fishing trip.
- Mousie
Mentioned as being driven to the village by Merton to buy melon seeds.
Key passages
“The robins, of which there seemed no end about the house, gave us a tuneful and hilarious sendoff; the grown people and children whom we met smiled and cheered, following us with envious eyes.”
The many robins around the house sang cheerfully as we left, and the people we passed smiled and waved, looking at us with envy.
Describes the joyful departure for the fishing trip.
“Over they splashed, lightening the boat, and taking the 'painter,' or tie rope, at the bow, they pulled manfully.”
They jumped into the water, reducing the boat's weight, and pulled the rope at the front to free it.
Shows the boys' quick action to get the boat unstuck.
“I told my boy that I would milk the cow while he cleaned the fish for supper, and when at last we sat down we formed a tired, hilarious, and hungry group.”
I said I would milk the cow while my son prepared the fish, and when we finally ate, we were exhausted, cheerful, and very hungry.
Highlights the family's cooperative end to the day.