My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead

1288 Words3 Pages

My Side of the Mountain is a remarkable novel written by Jean Craighead George (1991). It addresses issues such as nature, independence and adventure. In the book, Sam Gribley, a boy from New York, runs away from home to live in the woods. Throughout this essay, I am going to talk about the things and the character traits that a person such as Sam needs in order to accomplish his or her goals. In the book, Sam’s goals were to reach indepence and to survive using the resources in the woods. For example, when Miss Turner, a close friend of Sam, tried to change Sam’s mind about living in the woods, Sam said to her, “That’s just what I want. I am going to trap animals and eat nuts and bulbs and berries and make myself a house.” (George, 1991, p. 22). Another example is that Sam expressed that he wanted to dress a piece of clothes made by him using the hide of a deer (George, 1991, p. 60). At the end of the book, Sam accomplished his goals, he thought, “I was self-sufficient, I could travel the world over, never needing a penny, never asking anything of anyone.” (George, 1991, p. 173). From my point of view, all human beings have goals. The only difference is the nature of those goals. Goals can be represented in terms of money, love, health, etc. I also think that goals are a necessity for us. They impulse our lives and give it a sense of direction. It is very important knowing your objectives in life because you can focus all your energy on reaching those objectives. In this way, the path towards reaching your goals will be easier to travel as you will see the goal itself and not the pain you have to stand in order to reach it.
In the story of the book, Sam reached his goals because he has five specific traits of personality. Those ...

... middle of paper ...

... think that in this book, the author tried to convey the requirements a person needs to achieve his or her objectives. The main character in the book is a young boy named Sam Gribley. He left his home to live in the forest by himself. Sam wanted to be independent. He also wanted to survive using the resources in the woods. From my point of view, having goals makes your life worthwhile. In addition, when you know what you want, it is easier for you to find a way to reach it. When you reach something you want, you are able to realize what traits of your personality and what conditions have helped you to get there. In the end, a journey towards one’s goals is more a journey towards one’s real essence. That is why I think that all of us must set goals and try to accomplish them.

Works Cited

George, J. C. (1991). My side of the mountain. New York: Puffin Books.

Open Document