The Yearling, penned by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, is set in the late 19th century in the backwoods of Florida. It offers a poignant depiction of rural life and coming-of-age against the backdrop of the untamed Florida scrubland.
The novel primarily focuses on the life of a young boy named Jody Baxter and his relationship with his parents, Penny and Ora Baxter. Jody's family lives a life of subsistence farming, and their challenges form the narrative's core.
Jody's life takes a dramatic turn when his father, Penny, is bitten by a rattlesnake while they are out hunting. When killing a doe to use its liver to draw out the snake's poison, they find her orphaned fawn. Jody persuades his father to let him adopt the fawn, which he names Flag, marking the beginning of an inseparable bond between the boy and the yearling.
Jody's relationship with Flag is not just one of companionship but also a mirror of his coming-of-age. As Flag grows, the deer's instincts begin to cause problems, eating the crops the Baxter family depends on for survival. Despite Jody's efforts to restrain Flag and the deep emotional bond between them, the situation escalates to the point where Flag threatens the family's livelihood.
The climactic point of the narrative comes when Jody faces the painful decision to kill Flag to prevent the deer from destroying more crops, symbolizing his painful transition from childhood to adulthood. The loss of Flag sends Jody into a state of deep grief and disillusionment, leading him to run away from home. However, he soon realizes the harsh realities of surviving independently and returns home.
