The Middle Five · Chapter
VI: Lester explained
The chapter recounts a summer afternoon at the mission school where a bee swarm disrupts class.
What happens
The chapter recounts a summer afternoon at the mission school where a bee swarm disrupts class. Warren spots the swarm, and the boys, led by Graybeard, chase it with noise and mirrors. Lester is forced to climb a tree to saw off the branch where the bees settle, but he is stung. Later, the boys discuss the nature of bees and American history, with Brush explaining the queen bee and the American Revolution. Lester and Warren earn rewards for their roles and are sent to get the mail. The chapter ends with the boys spying from the belfry and witnessing Lester and Warren meeting two girls to give them candy, leading to teasing at breakfast.
Themes in this chapter
Education and Discipline
The classroom scene shows the strict but sometimes lax discipline of the mission school, with Graybeard dozing and the bee swarm causing a chaotic but educational interruption.
Childhood and Play
The boys' chase of the bee swarm, their spying from the belfry, and the secret candy exchange with girls highlight the playful, mischievous side of childhood.
Cultural Identity and Assimilation
The boys' discussion of American history and the queen bee reflects the assimilationist education at the mission, blending Native and American perspectives.
Characters to notice
- Me
Narrator; participates in the bee swarm chase and belfry spying.
- Brush
Identifies the bee swarm, explains bee and American history, borrows the spyglass, and leads the spying.
- Graybeard
Teacher who directs the bee swarm response and forces Lester to climb the tree.
- Lester
Climbs the tree to saw the bee swarm branch, gets stung, and later meets a girl with candy.
- Edwin M. Stanton
Teases Lester about climbing and his girl's ribbon; participates in spying.
- Warren
First spots the bee swarm; rings the bell during the chase; meets a girl with candy.
Key passages
“Swarming!”
Warren finally blurts out the word 'swarming' after being shaken awake by Graybeard, revealing the cause of his distraction.
This moment triggers the entire bee swarm chase and the subsequent events.
“Lester climb tree like wildcat.”
Edwin jokes that Lester can climb a tree like a wildcat, leading to Lester being forced to climb the tree to saw the bee swarm branch.
Edwin's teasing sets up Lester's reluctant heroism and the comedic sting.
“They had one; but they didn't like him, because he put a terrible big tax on tea.”
Brush explains that Americans once had a king but rebelled because of a tea tax, summarizing the American Revolution in simplified terms.
This shows how American history was taught to Native students in a way that emphasized rebellion against unjust authority.