Old Yeller

How does Travis feel about Old Yeller when the dog first comes to their cabin? Why does Travis want to get rid of Old Yeller?

Travis is excited to prove that he can handle things like a “man” while Papa is gone. What does being an adult mean to Travis at the beginning of the novel? What is his understanding of adulthood at the end of the novel? 

How does Travis feel about Little Arliss before the bear attack? How does he feel afterwards? What does Travis learn about himself after this episode?

Consider the roles of Mama and Lisbeth in the novel. How does each fit a traditional female gender role? How does each deviate? Do you think that, as females, they have a lower status than males of the time period? Why or why not?

Old Yeller is a Bildungsroman, or coming of age novel. How does Travis change emotionally and psychologically over the course of the novel? Give specific examples.

Think about the adult male characters, Papa, Bud Searcy, and Burn Sanderson. What do the three men have in common? What are some differences amongst them? Of the three, who is your favorite character, and why?

When Old Yeller contracts rabies, Mama offers to shoot him if Travis cannot do it. Why does Travis decide to kill Old Yeller himself?

Travis rejects Lisbeth’s gift of the speckled pup, but after Old Yeller dies, Travis says that the “sight of that little old pup, tearing out for the brush with that piece of cornbread seemed to loosen something inside me” (157). What does Travis mean? How does he feel when he sees the pup steal the cornbread?