39 pages • 1 hour read
Ray BradburyThe Halloween Tree
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1972A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Character Analysis
Tom Skelton
Tom, the novel’s protagonist, is 13 years old and is an energetic, decisive, yet thoughtful and intelligent boy. He is also an excellent friend, as shown in his devotion to Pipkin.
Tom is the principal character among the eight boys who pursue Pipkin on the Halloween journey. Bradbury emphasizes Tom’s importance by having him act in decisive moments, like suggesting that the boys explore the haunted house and checking on Pipkin after they return home. Tom is also the first to volunteer to make the sacrifice to save Pipkin. By taking the initiative, Tom is like a leader among the boys. Bradbury often makes Tom’s thoughts, reflections, and reactions central to the narrative. For instance, the fact that Tom grasps the uniqueness and value of the Mexican Day of the Dead illustrates his perceptiveness.
Tom’s surname, Skelton, is significant. It sounds like “skeleton,” which is what Tom’s friends often jokingly call him. Fittingly, Tom chooses a skeleton costume for Halloween. The fact that Tom, whose very surname suggests Halloween, has clothed himself with bones relates to the central theme of The Need to Recognize Mortality. Tom thus functions as an everyman, representing humanity's general need to face mortality and serving as a model for readers experiencing the story along with him.
Joe Pipkin
Pipkin, or Pip, is a fun-loving and mischievous boy and a lovable friend; the other boys consider him “the greatest boy who ever lived” (9). He is described as being a fast runner, wearing rugged and worn clothes, and having a nub nose and “a great hedgehog bristle of bright brown-blond” hair (11). Pipkin represents the spirit of childhood or boyhood, so the danger he faces throughout the story echoes his friends’ growing appreciation of a darker and more adult world. The fact that his friends are so concerned about Pipkin’s welfare and want to save him shows how much they care about him, developing the theme of The Power of Friendship.
Pipkin’s mysterious condition and disappearance set the plot of the book in motion. When Pipkin comes out of his house looking pale and sickly, his friends are shocked because this is the opposite of his usual nature. Throughout the story, Pipkin undergoes a series of painful supernatural experiences or trials. While he appears to have some knowledge of what is happening to him, the fact that he is constantly assuming some new fantasy guise (mummy, dog, gargoyle, etc.) means that he cannot communicate freely, so his friends have to keep hunting for him.
The end of the book reveals the cause of Pipkin’s predicament: He was stricken with appendicitis on Halloween night and had to have his appendix removed in an emergency operation. In the fantasy narrative, this translates to Pipkin being “borrowed” and “held for ransom” by death. Pipkin’s young age and cheerful disposition are meant to evoke readers’ sympathy, inviting them to care deeply about the outcome of the story.
Moundshroud
Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud is a macabre yet friendly supernatural being. He is described as tall, with a white face, pinpoints of green fire for eyes, and an “evil smile”—though the novel reveals that he is not in fact evil. He can change shape at will, turning into a whirlwind of leaves at one point, and he appears in different places in an instant. His full name points to his nature: “Carapace” and “clavicle” are both types of bones, while “mound” is a place of burial and “shroud” a covering for a dead body.
For most of the novel, Moundshroud functions as a benign spirit guide who leads the boys on a journey through history to learn about the origins of Halloween and save Pipkin from the clutches of death. Thus, while Moundshroud has a frightening aspect, he is also a figure of fun and a teacher of wisdom. He is “a friend to lads” who can impart dark truths in an entertaining way (130). The boys always call him “Mr.” Moundshroud, implying that he is an authority figure to be respected.
At the end of the story, Moundshroud reveals that he is responsible for collecting people at the end of their lives, retroactively explaining his associations with death: He functions as the Grim Reaper. Bradbury’s portrayal of Moundshroud aims to make the idea of death less frightening for young people while also offering insights into how various cultures respond to mortality. Although he personifies death, Moundshroud therefore does not function as the antagonist of the story; rather, he is a force for good who helps the boys achieve their goals.
The Other Boys
The other boys have a less clearly defined profile than either Tom or Pipkin. They tend to function as a group, which underlines their closeness and thus the theme of friendship. However, the costumes they wear also prove significant, as they correspond to the different eras of history that the book explores.
In this way, Bradbury spotlights each individual boy briefly in the context of a particular historical scene. In Chapter 10, Moundshroud asks Ralph Bengstrum, dressed as a mummy, to do the honors of unraveling his mummy strip. The same chapter also features cave paintings of prehistoric humans, who loosely correspond to the “apeman” costume J.J. wears. In Chapter 12, Samhain’s scythe slices through “Hackles” Nibley’s Grim Reaper costume, ripping it in two and knocking the boy’s miniature scythe out of his hands. At the end of Chapter 13, Henry-Hank, who is dressed as a witch, and the other boys fly on brooms over the bonfires caused by medieval witch burnings. Wally Babb wears a gargoyle costume and is allowed to call the gargoyles forth in Chapter 15. Fred Fryer, dressed as a beggar, comes to the fore at the end of Chapter 17 when voices of people begging are heard in the distance; Fred wants to fly toward them, but there is no time. In Chapter 19, George Smith sees representations of “wandering spirits” that echo his own ghost costume. These parallels underscore that contemporary Halloween celebrations stem from the various periods and practices the novel depicts; without even knowing it, each boy embodies some aspect of the holiday and its origins.
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By Ray Bradbury
