The Yearling

The Yearling



I read a book called The Yearling, by Marjorie Rawlings to my boys many years ago. Recently I watched a movie about the making of the book, called Cross Creek. In the movie a would be ambitious writer (true story) moves to an isolated part of Florida, buys an orange grove, divorces her husband and finds that that what she bought was almost unsalvageable, but with hard work and cheap local help, she manages to get the place operational, which funds her writing. She befriends a family in the Everglades, a father who drinks to much, a mother who was not cut out for that life, slowly losing her mind and several children, the oldest a “tom-boy”with a firm bond with a yearling fawn.



In the movie the father, although not perfect and drinks to much, knows the outcome of raising and keeping a wild animal, but his love for his little girl compromises his senses and his wisdom. Years of living amongst nature, he tries to tell his little girl the foreseeable outcome, but in her naiveté she doesn’t understand. All she understands is love, but her love is going to bring untold sorrow and despair.



The yearling grew and the shabby fence could not keep it contained any longer. The family lived off what they grew and naturally the fawn got into the family vegetable garden. The father was furious and was going to shoot the fawn but their neighbor-writer just happened to be at their house and with her pleading eyes, and suggestion of a “better pen”, the father once again relented knowing the outcome, yet hoping he was wrong. He told Mrs. Rawlings that a wild grown deer could not be contained and it would inevitably eat their food which they so desperately depended, then it would surely go to Mrs. Rawlings house and eat all hers, until it made its way to all the neighbors, where it would surely then be shot.

Knowing what had to be done the father shot the deer for his families welfare. His beloved daughter’s one time yearling was not small anymore, but could leap over tall things, and simply could not be contained, but the little girl had run, not hearing the explanation, because screaming and crying and beating on her father screaming, “I hate you, I hate you, I hate you”, ripping his heart from his chest.

Turning to the bottle, he rode his horse into town where he took his sorrow and rage out publicly. The sheriff found him near his home later and asked him for his rifle. In a perceived move of aggression, the Sheriff shot the father dead. The little girl lost her fawn and her father in the same day.



This reminded me of the scripture, Titus 2:4 & 6 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children…

Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.



It seems that young women and men would not need to be taught to be sober. This doesn’t mean not to drink, but rather not to be ditzy, scattered, wanting to have fun all the time. It means to take your role as wife and mother seriously, as well as the role of a father and husband, and to work at loving your mate and your children above all that life flashes fancy and appealing in your sight.



The father had mush experience in the wild. He knew the nature of wild life and he knew that a large animal like that eventually could not be contained. Mrs. Rawlings had no experience of that sort. Her interference did not serve this family well in matters of wildlife, but she did offer much needed love to a little girl.



Today, the young people are isolated from the older people, and they have no desire to learn the ways of the world from someone who has already in many cases, learned the very hard ways of a very harsh world, and thus history tends to repeat itself. There are no young ears listening to the wisdom of the aged it seems today.



I was thinking about the women in our church who built their houses with their bare hands along side their husbands. Women who have hiked the Appalachian trail alone and who have sold all they had to work with “troubled” youth as house parents. Who dealt with demon possession and suicide. Women who served in the military and oh the stories that they could tell and better yet the advice they could give! Stories of heartache and abuse. Stories of overcoming in Jesus. But the young find no fascination in the hardships of “days-gone-by”and the old seem to let sentiment steal their wisdom, as did the hurting father. He knew better, but his little girls tears caused him to judge faultily  and his life was stolen from the ones who loved and needed him the most.



Let’s try our best older people to make ourselves available to share the glories and the heartaches, the knowledge and the truth to young people who will listen. And to children; parent it’s up to you to place worth where the child can see. If these things are not done and Gods instructions not honored, sentiment will not be able to save either party from the inevitable loss. Obey, while you have the chance. Learn from The Yearling, nature does take its course and so does the Bible!



Blessing