Visitors to Paddy’s Pond explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Fear and Survival

  The hunter's patient ambush and Lightfoot's bitter awareness of being hunted highlight the constant threat to survival.

• Innocence and Vulnerability

  Mr. and Mrs. Quack and Bobby Coon go about their innocent activities, completely unaware of the hidden danger.

Characters to notice

• The Hunter

  Sits motionless on a log, patiently waiting for Lightfoot, resisting the temptation to shoot Mr. and Mrs. Quack or Bobby Coon.

• Lightfoot the Deer

  Watches from the hemlock-trees on the ridge, understanding that the hunter spares other animals only to kill him.

• Paddy the Beaver

  Observes the hunter and is tempted to warn the ducks, but decides to wait as long as the hunter does not move.

• Mr. Quack

  Alights with Mrs. Quack in the pond, cleans his feathers, and feeds unsuspectingly within range of the hunter's gun.

• Mrs. Quack

  Arrives with Mr. Quack, swims and feeds in the pond, unaware of the hunter's presence.

• Bobby Coon

  Appears at the dam, washes his food in the water, and eats on the dam before disappearing into the forest.

• Reddy Fox

  Arrives at the upper end of the pond wearing his wonderful red coat.

Key passages

• “That hunter was a man of patience. Also he was a man who understood the little people of the Green Forest and the Green Meadows. He knew that if he would not be seen he must not move.”

  The hunter was patient and knowledgeable about the forest creatures, understanding that staying still was key to remaining hidden.

  Introduces the hunter's strategy and expertise.

• “It is because he wants to kill me that he doesn't shoot at Mr. and Mrs. Quack or Bobby Coon.”

  Lightfoot realizes the hunter spares the other animals only because his true target is Lightfoot himself.

  Lightfoot's bitter insight into the hunter's motives.