47 pages 1 hour read

Carolyn Reeder

Shades of Gray

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1989

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Chapters 4-6Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 4 Summary

Uncle Jed asks Will if he thinks he can find the traps on his own, and Will says that he cannot as of yet, so they go together, with Jed leading the way. Since he will not call him Uncle Jed, his uncle refuses to respond to Will’s calls for him to wait. Will refuses to do so and hopes his uncle realizes the reason. Will learns to find the traps.

As Will works in the fields, he looks forward to his next meal because he is exhausted. During the meal, his uncle tells him that he needs help repairing the fence and that it will take at least a month. Will does not look forward to spending that much time with his uncle. Uncle Jed comments that Will must not have had to do much work at home because he does not know how to work on the fence. He also maintains that where Will is now, people are proud of doing for themselves, something Will has never considered before. It takes Will a while to understand the job they are doing, but by day’s end, he is proud of what he has accomplished.