Alabama Moon

“Pap had tried to explain death to me, but I couldn’t make sense of it.”

Moon reveals many expository details of his day-to-day life and upbringing in the opening paragraphs of his narrative, but this line helps the reader to establish a wider perspective of his existence. Moon cannot make sense of death beyond animals killed and skinned for money and food because his exposure to the lives of other people has been so limited. His mother’s death left no memory, as he was only two; the trauma of Pap’s death and burial sends Moon into a tailspin of loneliness and fear.

“I’m scared, Pap, but I know I can lick most anything three times my size. I know I can survive on my own and keep away from the government.”

Moon writes this affirmation of his skills and talents into a letter to Pap which he burns, hoping that Pap’s spirit can read it in the smoke. Indirectly, Moon’s tone reveals a level of self-awareness that is mature for his 10 years, in that he recognizes and admits his fear, but his ideas reveal his character’s unrealistic sense of confidence in “doing battle” against outside forces with which he has no experience.

“This fellow here looks an awful lot like your pap. I’d even say it was his brother if I was to make a guess of it.”

When Mr. Abroscotto breaks the lock from Pap’s ammunition box and discovers photos of people in Pap’s past, he asks Moon about potential relatives. This line plants a plot point that will become key in Moon’s literal and figurative journey to find his place in the world. Moon, at this point, simply assumes there is no brother because surely Pap would have told him. His reaction exemplifies the unquestioning trust Moon has in Pap.

“Damned if you ain’t the mean little cuss I thought you were.”

Constable Sanders does not hide his true colors on meeting Moon for the first time. He wants Moon to get in the car and stop looking at his rifle, neither of which Moon does immediately and the constable quickly shows his threatening side with curses and name-calling. Sanders is juxtaposed against Moon’s previous adversaries (Mr. Abroscotto, Mr. Wellington, Mr. Gene) in that Sanders bests Moon in this scene, taking physical charge of Moon and taking Moon’s possessions.

“I figure I won’t have much of a problem bustin’ out once I get to feelin’ better again.”

Again, Moon shows a curious mix of confidence and ignorance. He likes Mr. Carter and thinks nothing of speaking freely of his plans to escape. If Moon had a stronger sense of reality; he might keep his plans secret. The line also alludes to Moon’s lasting injuries from Constable Sanders.

“Gonna get my stuff back, Pap.”

Moon is more concerned with the whereabouts of his rifle, hat, and clothes taken by Constable Sanders than he is the sight of Hal peering vengefully in at him through the window. Moon mutters this line to himself just after Mr. Gene strongly recommends accepting the fact that the state system of boys’ homes will supervise him for years, unless a foster family seeks him out. Mr. Gene mentioned keeping Moon’s possessions safe for him, but Moon does not trust him. This line reveals that neither Mr. Gene nor Hal have made much impression on Moon’s objectives to get out and retrieve what belongs to him.

“Hal, I think you’d learn to leave this fellow alone by now.”

Mr. Carter points out to Hal that Moon bested him a second time, this time when Hal went after Moon in the schoolyard at Pinson. Mr. Carter does not punish Moon but does “sentence” Hal to another night spent sleeping outside in the cold. This shows that he handles conflicts by a sense of his own higher judgement and not simple rules that punish all involved in a fight.

“I got it all figured, Hal. Don’t you worry.”

Moon’s words to Hal in the moments before they begin their breakout demonstrate the 10-year-old’s confidence and authority. Hal is almost four years older than Moon and bigger physically, but Moon devises an escape plan within two nights of arrival at Pinson (and beat Hal in two physical confrontations), so with situational irony, Hal decides to defer to Moon’s idea for getting out.

“I sure don’t have anything to lose […] They’re gonna send me to Hellenweiler soon anyway.”

Hal is motivated to continue to try Moon’s ways of escaping into the forest and living off the land, as he has few prospects at Pinson. In this line, he shares how he feels about going to the next home. Hal wants to get away from the system and does as Moon requests—drives the escape bus, climbs the fire tower, looks for cedar bark—but he is a reluctant ally in that he always wants sleep and food as well.

“I imagine this dog’s about as happy to get away from Sanders as everybody else is.”

A new ally joins the small band of escapees: The dog that Constable Sanders sends after Moon, Hal, and Kit. Ironically, Snapper likes Hal best, much to Hal’s initial annoyance. In this line, Moon shows some wit, a departure from his usual straight-and-narrow responses. Beneath the humor, though, is a tone of seriousness, as Moon thinks Sanders is dangerous and not in control of his reactions.

“Pap said I could write him letters and burn ’em and he’d read the smoke.”

Moon asks Hal and Kit if they have any paper so that he can communicate with Pap on the first night after their escape from Pinson. The line marks the first opportunity in days for Moon to think about his father. Reactions from Hal and Kit clearly represent their personalities: Hal tells Moon that idea is the “stupidest thing” he’s heard of, but Kit does not dismiss it as impossible. With no paper at hand, Moon improvises the next morning with pine bark and a sharp piece of rock.

“Hal, you know all that I said about not carin’ who came? Dogs or people? Well, I like it that y’all came.”

This is an important admission from Moon, who rarely utters a word that touches on emotional connections between people. Here, he faces the fact that Hal wants to leave Moon and Kit behind in the forest to try to find his father. Though Moon does not discuss his feelings often in his interior monologue, he refers to wondering if Kit is mad at him “too” (141), which implies that Moon thinks Hal holds him responsible for the lack of shelter. Moon chases after Hal and tries to get Hal to stay; when he cannot, he tells Hal the easiest way out of the forest.

“I’m not runnin’ from him anymore.”

This line, in which Moon tries to explain to Kit why they must confront Sanders, marks Moon’s determination and grit. He wants to take a stand instead of fleeing the law. This is a notable change in his opinion, as he told Pap and others that outrunning authority would be easy for him. Now he realizes that with an aggressive pursuer like Sanders, fleeing is not going to resolve the conflict. Logistically, Moon is also thinking about how to acquire the pistol Sanders wears, as he knows he and Kit will need one in Alaska.

“We’ve got everything we need.”

Moon’s line to Kit once they’ve lived in their forest camp for about two weeks echoes the words Pap taught Moon as Moon grew up used to minimal store-bought items. The irony in this line is immediately apparent when Kit answers back that he might soon need medicine. Moon readies an aspirin-like concoction for Kit, but Kit soon grows ill with no relief from Moon’s natural remedies.

“I don’t care about Alaska, Kit. I’m not goin’ without you. I’m not goin’ at all. Pap said there were more people like him up there. But I don’t wanna be like those people! I don’t wanna be by myself, Kit!”

Moon’s emotions overflow as he frantically tries one natural cure for Kit’s sickness after another with no effect. Moon creates a makeshift sled and drags Kit behind him. This rush of emotion comes as fear and tiredness affect Moon. The line shows a meaningful change in Moon’s goals and a big step in his emotional and developmental coming-of-age.

“I like livin’ in the forest. I don’t know where else I’d live, but I don’t wanna be by myself. We were always by ourselves. We didn’t ever see anybody except Mr. Abroscotto.”

Jail and Pinson had great food but no freedom, and the forest camp with Kit was perfect until Kit got sick. Now Moon sees what carefree fun is like living with Hal and his father. Thinking about where he belongs, Moon is at odds; he knows Pap despised reliance on anyone, but Moon realizes now isolated independence equates to loneliness. Moreover, Moon begins here to question Pap’s methods and choices, and doubt that Pap knew everything—a marked juxtaposition with Moon’s belief in Pap at the start of the story.

“You’re startin’ to learn that life’s not as simple as you thought it was, Moon. There’s mean people out there.”

Mr. Abroscotto points out to Moon that sometimes reasons do not exist to explain others’ actions and personalities. He also points out the changes in Moon since he escaped from Pinson. Up to that point, Moon functioned on a set of goals instilled within him by Pap; after that, Moon wonders increasingly if Pap might have been wrong to keep him in the forest with almost zero contact with others. This character arc will continue until the story’s end.

“He says we shot at him and ate his dogs. I told the TV people that we didn’t do any of it, but they don’t believe me. They keep asking me if you told me to lie about it all.”

Kit summarizes for Moon the worst of Sanders’s accusations. Visiting Kit is emotional for Moon; he is relieved Kit survived and glad to shake on a deal for the future, but the information Kit bears in this line makes Moon realize the depths of Sanders’s dishonesty. In this moment, the image of Kit, who represents youth, purity, and kindness, juxtaposes against Sanders, a clear shadow archetype strongly in conflict with Moon.

“For that sickly kid’s sake, you better hope you ain’t lyin’.”

Sanders demonstrates the depths of his cruelty in this line when he threatens Moon. The villainous Shadow discovers Moon’s one weakness—his care and concern for those he now counts as friends—and takes advantage by threatening to hurt Kit.

“Usually, the forest worked with me. The sounds of the animals and the light patterns and the breezes carrying smell told me what it knew. That day though, it seemed the forest had forgotten about me. It did nothing to help me.”

Moon gradually loses his will to fight. He slowly approaches the lowest point emotionally on his journey as Sanders drives him into woods in a dog collar. Even his constant companion, the forest, seems to have turned traitor. It is unwilling or unable to offer any solutions to his current conflict. Moon flees Sanders’s wrath only to turn himself in to Mr. Wellington within hours.

“I guess that’s why you’re so famous, Moon. Everybody wants to hear about how a child can be raised out there in that forest with no sense of the rules.”

Mr. Wellington discusses the concept of law with Moon, and Moon comments that he does not even know how to learn the laws and rules that govern society. The lawyer’s statement is a summary comment on Moon’s current conflict. It also marks the progression Mr. Wellington makes as a dynamic character who goes from simply expecting Moon to abide by the rules to helping Moon learn and cope.

“Damn system. This kid needs somethin’ different.”

Judge Mackin starts his morning threatening to put Moon in a straitjacket if he starts “actin’ crazy on him” (246). After hearing from Moon and Mr. Wellington and seeing Moon’s skill with the rifle at the shooting range, the judge acquires an altogether different opinion of Moon and his needs, represented in this line. Judge Mackin is a secondary but crucial dynamic character in Moon’s story who realizes the many misunderstandings and lies impacting Moon. The judge paves the way for Moon’s circumstances to change for the better.

“Will I have a brother?”

It occurs suddenly to Moon after hearing that he has an uncle that more family members might be waiting. Mr. Wellington shares that indeed, Moon has two first cousins. The line also works as an echo of Moon’s first stated interest in having a brother, when he told Kit that he hoped they would be like brothers living in the forest. The line also works to foreshadow the Moon yearning for family after Kit passes away.

“I didn’t have anything to say to either one of them. I just stood there and felt like all my insides had been scraped out. I knew that I would never come there again.”

Moon bids a wordless goodbye to his parents’ graves in the forest. It is significant that his last trip to the shelter and their graves offers no message or solace from the forest, as it once did. Now, Moon seeks companionship, love, and friendship instead of solitude and isolation. His feelings while standing at the graves of Pap and Momma reflect a hollowed-out emptiness that is waiting to be filled with the love and kindness of family.