Short Fiction · Chapter
The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin explained
Nutkin and his squirrel cousins travel to Owl Island to gather nuts, offering gifts to Old Brown.
What happens
Nutkin and his squirrel cousins travel to Owl Island to gather nuts, offering gifts to Old Brown. Nutkin's impertinent riddles and disrespect anger the owl, leading to a chase where Nutkin loses his tail but escapes.
Themes in this chapter
Obedience and Consequence
Nutkin's disobedience and rudeness lead to his near-capture and loss of his tail.
Nature and Danger
The wild setting of Owl Island and Old Brown's predatory nature pose constant danger to the squirrels.
Characters to notice
- Squirrel Nutkin
The impertinent protagonist who taunts Old Brown with riddles and loses his tail.
- Twinkleberry
Nutkin's polite brother who leads the other squirrels in offering gifts.
- Old Brown
The owl who owns Owl Island and is repeatedly taunted by Nutkin.
Key passages
“This is a Tale about a tail—a tail that belonged to a little red squirrel, and his name was Nutkin.”
The story focuses on the tail of a red squirrel named Nutkin.
Opening line introducing the protagonist and central motif.
“But Nutkin was excessively impertinent in his manners. He bobbed up and down like a little red cherry, singing—”
Nutkin behaved rudely, bouncing and singing cheeky riddles.
Highlights Nutkin's disrespectful behavior.
“Old Brown carried Nutkin into his house, and held him up by the tail, intending to skin him; but Nutkin pulled so very hard that his tail broke in two, and he dashed up the staircase and escaped out of the attic window.”
Old Brown tried to skin Nutkin, but Nutkin escaped by breaking his own tail.
Climactic escape scene showing Nutkin's desperate action.