50 pages • 1 hour read
Carol Ryrie BrinkCaddie Woodlawn
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1935A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 21-24Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 21 Summary: “Father Speaks”
Annabelle doesn’t cry or tell Mrs. Woodlawn what happened, and that evening she is quiet and does not brag about Boston.
The next day Tom proposes that they do somersaults in the barn. Annabelle agrees, but with less enthusiasm than the day before. When Hetty enters the barn, she watches as Caddie slips “an egg down the back of Annabelle’s blouse” (238). When Annabelle cries, Hetty gets her mother, filling her in on the other tricks. Mrs. Woodlawn singles out Caddie for punishment, banishing her to her room until the following morning. When Tom explains that he is equally at fault, Mrs. Woodlawn says she finds Caddie’s behavior most egregious because she acted unladylike and has neglected her obligations of hospitality.
In her room Caddie feels “stung by injustice” (240). She takes some of her belongings and wraps them in a towel, stowing them under her bed and planning to run away when everyone is asleep. She feels that no one will miss her, and maybe “they would adopt Annabelle in her place” (242). Caddie figures she can live off the land until she can find Indian John, who she is sure will allow her to live with his people. With the Native Americans, Caddie won’t “have to grow into that hateful thing which Mother [is] always talking about—a lady” (242).
When her father comes in the room, Caddie pretends to be sleeping. He sits beside her and explains that being a woman is hard work, and her role is just as important as a man’s. He doesn’t want Caddie “to be the silly, affected person with fine clothes and manners whom folks sometimes call a lady” (244). Instead, he wants her to become “a woman with a wise and understanding heart, healthy in body and honest in mind” (244), and he asks if Caddie is ready for that. He apologizes for letting her run wild but explains that he thought it would help her become “a splendid woman” (245), which he still believes to be true. Caddie hugs her father and feels relieved.
The next morning, Caddie wakes late and knows “that she need not be afraid of growing up” (246). She can look forward to growing up because it includes “beautiful and precious” (246) responsibilities that she is ready to tackle.
Chapter 22 Summary: “A Letter with a Foreign Stamp”
When Caddie comes downstairs, Annabelle and Clara are quilting. Caddie asks if they can teach her. Though it is awkward at first, Caddie quickly picks up the quilting and deems it “one of the greatest sports in the world” (249). When the boys come in, she shows off her skill, and the boys jump in to show theirs. For the next week or so the boys join Caddie in house tasks, and though they are always loud and underfoot, Mrs. Woodlawn is pleased that Caddie is showing “an interest in the house” (251).
Mr. Woodlawn returns from the mill with mail and seems very distracted. As he and Mrs. Woodlawn talk in the parlor, a room reserved for special occasions or serious private talks, the children guess what the mail might be, remarking on the size of the envelope and the English postage.
Mrs. Woodlawn calls the children into the parlor, and their father explains that after the death of an uncle, he “may be the next Lord Woodlawn” (254). Clara and Mrs. Woodlawn are excited at the prospect, but Caddie cannot forget the locked gate from her father’s past. Mr. Woodlawn explains that to accept the lordship, he must give up his American citizenship and their lives in America to live in England. Again, Clara and Mrs. Woodlawn believe it makes sense to go, but Mr. Woodlawn cautions that they must avoid a hasty decision.
That night, Clara, Mrs. Woodlawn, and Annabelle talk excitedly. Annabelle, especially, speaks of all the wonderful things they can expect in England. Mr. Woodlawn is quiet through supper, and Caddie catches “a troubled look in his eye” (258).
After eating, Caddie and her brothers go to the barn. Listening to Robert Ireton’s singing, Caddie looks toward the sky and wonders whether the stars are as bright or beautiful in England. Caddie realizes that “her old, wild past was ended. But suddenly she knew, too, that she wanted the future, whatever it might hold, to be here in the country that she loved” (259).
Chapter 23 Summary: “Pigeons or Peacocks?”
At breakfast everyone is on edge but Annabelle. Caddie remembers her dream in which she is in England about to meet the queen. In it, she is holding the hand of the small boy from the painting. When they get to the gate, it is closed to them, and soldiers make them leave.
Mr. Woodlawn announces that the children will vote whether they stay or go by paper ballot at four that afternoon. He explains the benefits of England (speaking more highly of it than Caddie has ever heard him do) and America (muting his praise more than usual).
Tom, Caddie, and Warren go off to discuss the options. Caddie concludes that the three of them will vote to stay, but she figures that her mother, Clara, Hetty, and the youngest sister Minnie will vote to go. She even thinks their father will vote to go to keep their mother happy.
The afternoon passes gloomily. As Caddie listens to nature, Hetty slides up and puts her hand in Caddie’s. Hetty tells Caddie that she, too, wants to stay and be American. Caddie kisses her and tells Hetty that regardless of where they are, they should be closer.
The children return to the parlor at four, and everyone votes. When Mr. Woodlawn reads the votes, “there is only one vote to go” (269), surprising everyone. Clara exclaims that the lone vote was hers, and she wants to take it back. Mr. Woodlawn is surprised that his wife voted to stay, but Mrs. Woodlawn explains that she made the decision solely for herself, realizing that she and her family are happy in Wisconsin, and she doesn’t want to risk losing that. Mr. Woodlawn delightedly hugs and kisses his crying wife.
Chapter 24 Summary: “Travelers Return”
The fall in Wisconsin brings beautiful colors, and Caddie feels she might appreciate it more now that she almost lost it.
Indian John returns. He does not tell of his adventures or the wild places traveled, but Caddie feels like “the beauty and mystery of far-off places hung about him” (272). John gives Caddie a beautiful pair of moccasins. Then he grabs his scalp belt, signals to his dog, and leaves. His dog doesn’t quite know what to do or to whom he belongs. Caddie knows that if she pets or hugs the dog, he will stay, so she doesn’t. She tells him to go, and he follows John.
Nero returns after a long and arduous journey. He made the trip from St. Louis, walking long distances and catching rides on boats. When he arrives in the yard, Caddie cries out and hugs him, and “Nero yelp[s] with joy” (274). They wash, feed, and comb him, and soon he looks like himself.
As the circuit rider returns, Caddie and Nero wait for him at the gate. Caddie thinks about how much has changed over the last year. She realizes that she is the same and different all at once, and she wonders if life is just “growing from one person into another” (275). Caddie faces west because she will always be a pioneer “and an American” (275).
Chapters 21-24 Analysis
In these final chapters Brink focuses on independence and freedom. First, Caddie’s acceptance of growing up is entangled with her growing sense of independence and her realization that being a woman is not a prison sentence. Throughout the novel Caddie feels like being a “lady” requires far too many rules and forces her to miss out on the fun. When Caddie considers running away to live with the Native Americans, she is trying to escape becoming “that hateful thing” (242) that she feels robs her of her freedom. Her father releases her from that perception when he explains that she can be a woman, which is a noble and important undertaking, without conforming to all of the silly affectations. Once Caddie’s understanding of womanhood changes, she is able to participate in and enjoy typically female tasks, such as quilting.
Freedom and self-reliance are also emphasized during the family’s vote on whether to move to England or stay in Wisconsin. Mr. Woodlawn earlier mentioned that he appreciates living in a place where people can live their lives as they see fit, a privilege his father did not have in England. When he allows the children to vote, he provides them the opportunity to determine their own fate. Though careful not to affect his children’s decisions, Mr. Woodlawn mentions the “freedom which belonged to them in this country” (264) when summarizing the benefits of living in America. As the children discuss their options, Tom, Caddie, and Warren speak with respect about their father’s desire to do his own thing and work for what he has, claiming that they want the same for themselves. When Caddie faces west at the end of the novel, this demonstrates her desire for freedom and her commitment to being an American pioneer.
