42 pages • 1 hour read
Betsy ByarsThe Midnight Fox
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1968A 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 13-15Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 13 Summary: “Tacooma!”
As Tom walks beside Fred, he thinks about an Indigenous word, Tacooma, that he learned at a summer camp. It means “Help me, Brother” (86). This request was “an iron, never-to-be-broken rule” (86), meaning that those who hear this are obligated to help the person no matter what. Tom fantasizes that each person in the world has three “Tacoomas” in their life. He would use his right now to help the fox, and he imagines that Fred would reply, “The fox is safe. She will never be harmed. I will explain to Millie” (87). In reality, Tom believes that his only remaining hope is to get Hazeline’s help. That night, Hazeline gets home later than usual and runs straight to her bedroom. Tom knocks instantly on her door, so she tells him to come in. Tom is surprised to see that Hazeline has been crying. She explains that Mikey told her that she is too fat; he won’t marry her unless she loses 20 pounds. Tom doesn’t know what to say, but he comforts her before bringing up the fox. Hazeline sends Tom to get her a peanut-buttered banana and then tells him that there is nothing she can do to protect the fox. Devastated, Tom goes back to his room, imagining that if he were rich enough, he would buy all of Millie’s hens and turkeys to save the fox.
Chapter 14 Summary: “Unwilling Hunter”
The next day is even hotter, and everyone is irritable, apart from Fred; he is excited about the fox hunt. Over breakfast, Hazeline tells her parents that Mikey is not going to marry her, to which Fred says, “Now, now. Mikey is going to marry Hazeline. The rain is going to come. And we are going to get the fox that’s after your chickens” (96). This calms everyone down, except for Tom. Tom waits while Fred gets his gun, then the two of them and the dog, Happ, head into the woods and up the creek. Tom drags his feet and tries to redirect Fred, but Fred follows the creek, concentrating on signs of the fox. The black fox barks in the woods, drawing Happ away from her den, but Fred knows what she is doing and continues on his path, moving closer to her den.
Chapter 15 Summary: “The Den”
Tom screams inside as Fred stands less than 100 feet away from the black fox’s den. He feels as though they are playing a game of “Hot and Cold” (101), and Fred is “burning up” because he is so close to the den. Tom’s nose runs, but he can’t move or talk when Fred finds the den, talking about the fox cubs that will be inside. Fred tells Tom to go back to the house for a shovel and sack. Tom takes so long that Fred asks whether he got lost. As Fred digs out the den, Tom looks across the creek and sees the black fox anxiously pacing. She lets out a bark to try and lure them away, but Fred ignores her and lifts the baby fox out on his shovel. The fox cub looks dead, but Fred explains that he is just playing dead to try and fool them. Tom feels terrible but doesn’t know what to do. When Fred probes the den for more cubs, Tom tells him, “She just had one” (106). They walk back to the house, and Fred puts the cub in an old rabbit hutch and locks the door. Millie teasingly asks Fred who is going to steal his cub, and Fred replies, “I wouldn’t put it past a fox to open up an unlocked cage to get her baby” (107). Trying to sound calm, Tom asks Fred what he is going to do with the cub. Fred explains that he is using the cub as bait for the black fox and that he’ll sit out on the back porch with his gun ready, waiting for her.
Chapters 13-15 Analysis
Tom’s wistful and wishful thinking that he could “Tacooma” the black fox to safety points to his kind and empathic nature. However, Tom admits that when he was at the camp, he was afraid that someone would actually “Tacooma” him and put him in a situation that he would find uncomfortable, and this fear underscores his many anxieties. Now, Tom finds himself in precisely this situation while looking for the fox’s den with Fred. Tom is desperately uncomfortable and as he halfheartedly tries to divert Fred’s attention away from the den, it is clear that he is torn between conflicting pressures: to save the fox and to show respect for Fred. As a result, all he manages to do is silently watch as Fred easily finds it. Byars escalates the tension as Tom’s fear turns into feelings of “utter hopelessness,” and despite his despair, he stays quiet and does what Fred asks, unable to turn his stark emotion into actions or words even as he fantasizes about being a heroic fairy-tale character. He states, “I could not move at all. I just stood with the sun beating down on my head like a fist and my nose running” (102). The empathy and heartbreak that Tom feels for the tiny fox cub lying on Fred’s shovel is palpable. The impact of seeing the black fox desperately trying to draw Fred away from her cub stirs something in Tom, but he still believes that a tragic outcome is inevitable and that nothing he can do or say will change it. In this moment, Tom’s lack of self-confidence combines with his respect for Fred and Millie to keep him quiet and “helpful” as Fred describes how he will use the fox cub as bait to lure the black fox to her death.
In addition to the heightening of the novel’s central conflict, the damaging consequences of being unfairly judged based on appearance is further expanded with Mikey’s insensitive comment to Hazeline. When he announces that he will not marry Hazeline because she is “too fat” and gives her an ultimatum to lose 20 pounds, the callousness of this demand is narrated by Tom in a matter-of-fact way that reflects a nine-year-old boy’s limited life experience. Saddled with his own naiveté, Tom is more shocked at how much Hazeline can cry than at Mikey’s cruel comments, and his lack of experience fuels his unhelpful suggestion when he states, “Then just lose the twenty pounds, Hazeline. That’s all you have to do and he’ll marry you” (90). In addition to fleshing out Hazeline and Mikey’s characters, this aspect of the story reflects the different cultural norms and casual misogyny that characterized the 1960s, when women were expected to accept body-shaming comments like Mikey’s. This is also confirmed by the fact that neither of Hazeline’s parents seem upset that Mikey insulted their daughter. Additionally, Hazeline is quick to forgive Mikey.
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By Betsy Byars
