The Middle Five · Chapter
XII: Ponka Boys explained
The chapter describes the arrival of winter and the schoolboys' excitement over snow.
What happens
The chapter describes the arrival of winter and the schoolboys' excitement over snow. The superintendent announces that each boy can build his own sled, leading to a flurry of activity in the carpenter's shop. Ponka boys appear at the windows, mocking and distracting the class. Eventually, they steal the sleds, prompting a physical confrontation in which the schoolboys reclaim their sleds after a fierce fight.
Themes in this chapter
Resistance and Rebellion
The Ponka boys defy the school's authority by stealing sleds and mocking the students, while the schoolboys rebel against the theft through physical confrontation.
Childhood and Play
The joy of sledding, snow play, and the spirited fight over the sleds highlight the central role of play and competition in the boys' lives.
Education and Discipline
The classroom scenes contrast structured learning (arithmetic, history) with the disruptive presence of the Ponka boys, and Graybeard's attempts to maintain order.
Characters to notice
- Me
Narrator; participates in the fight against the Ponka boys, grappling with an impish opponent.
- Brush
Leads the charge to retrieve the sleds; fights two Ponka boys before being rescued by Frank.
- Graybeard
Superintendent; gives permission to chase the Ponka boys, tries to maintain order during the distraction.
- Frank La Flesche
Called by Brush during the fight; pulls a Ponka boy off Brush, helping him regain his footing.
- Warren
Notices the Ponka boys leaving with the sleds; whispers to Brush; feels insulted when compared to an owl.
- Peter
Clumsy boy who smashes his thumb while hammering, causing a commotion in the carpenter's shop.
Key passages
“We overtook the Ponkas midway between the school and the village. The little savages turned and came to meet us. “What do you want?” said the big boy who had played teacher. “We want our sleds,” said Brush. “Come and get them!” was the defiant answer of the Ponka boys.”
The schoolboys caught up with the Ponka boys halfway to the village. The Ponka leader asked what they wanted, and Brush demanded the sleds back. The Ponka boy challenged them to try taking them.
This exchange sets up the physical confrontation over the stolen sleds.
“I pretended to lift my foot for a fierce kick; he hopped backwards, and, in so doing, bent his body toward me. Quick as a flash, I grasped his two braids, pulled his head down, and brought my right knee up against it with tremendous force, and he went sprawling in the snow.”
I faked a kick, and when my opponent jumped back and leaned forward, I grabbed his braids, yanked his head down, and kneed him hard, sending him sprawling.
The narrator uses a clever trick to defeat his opponent in the fight.
““Ten sleeps ago,” angrily retorted the boy addressed, “you stole some honey, and the smirches of it are still on your face!””
The boy shot back that ten days earlier the mock teacher had stolen honey and still had sticky marks on his face.
During the Ponka boys' mock classroom, a student insults the pretend teacher, leading to a tussle.