49 pages • 1-hour read
The Skeleton Tree
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Chapters 4-6Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 4 Summary: “The Cabin”
At the seaside overlook in the present day, three chairs surround the wooden saint, and Chris fantasizes about what it will be like when the rescuers find them. He recalls his second-grade teacher saying he had trouble making friends and then laughs because he has befriended Frank.
In a flashback, Chris and Frank climb down to a sandy, trash-strewn beach and find shoes, buckets and other helpful items among the debris. Chris calls to Frank after finding a human footprint in the sand. They follow the footprints to a trail and then follow the trail through the woods to a small, abandoned cabin.
A dead raven hangs by red twine in the open doorway. A living raven flies in and watches from above. Frank whacks the dead bird down, while the living bird howls. Although disturbed, Chris does nothing in the face of Frank’s cruelty.
In the cabin is a radio. They call in a mayday, and a woman from the Coast Guard answers, but the radio dies before they can answer. In a rage, Frank throws the radio against the wall, sending pieces and dials flying. Chris is angry that Frank can’t control his rage and worries about what this will mean for them.
They find no more batteries for the radio but find a book entitled Kaetil the Raven Hunter. Frank continues his cruel insults, so Chris leaves. He finds another trail and follows it to a gnarled, ugly tree at the end of a grassy point. In the branches of the tree are four boxes; two have split open, revealing bones. Realizing that the boxes are coffins, Chris runs back to the cabin. Frank demands to see the tree, so they go back, and Chris swears he hears scratching. As he looks back, he sees a skull turn on its side, seemingly peering down at him.
Chapter 5 Summary: “The Raven”
In present day, Chris reveals that he fears the skeleton tree, especially at night. His imagination brings the skeletons to life to chase after him in his dreams, and he perceives every sound in the forest as a skeleton scratching through the forest for him.
In a flashback, Frank claims the cabin’s only bed, and Chris sleeps on the cold floor. Noises outside the cabin terrify him while Frank snores away. Chris can’t get the horrifying images out of his head. In the morning, the tension between the boys erupts as Frank continues to boss Chris around and Chris attempts to hold his ground.
Outside, the raven sits with the bones of its companion. When Frank kicks the bones away, the raven moans, and Chris recalls his father’s funeral. He takes the dead bird to the skeleton tree, untangles the twine that previously ensnared it, and shoves it up into the tree. He understands that the living raven is grieving and hopes to alleviate its pain.
Back at the cabin, Frank finds gooseneck barnacles while Chris forages seaweed. They eat, laugh, and share memories, but when Chris asks why Uncle Jack took Frank sailing, the moment passes and Frank resumes his dark mood. Frank says, “I’m glad he’s dead, and that’s all” (63).
As they explore the area, Chris finds a knife, which Frank keeps. After hiking for some time, they find a gravel beach and a fishing boat marooned on land. They believe they can take the boat out to sea and find help along the coast.
Chapter 6 Summary: “The Edge of Our World”
In the present day, Chris watches fog roll in, dashing his hopes that someone will come for them. He grabs sticks and beats against empty buckets to create a drumming sound. He must stay positive. He must believe help is coming.
In a flashback, Chris runs toward the marooned fishing boat only to find it has been destroyed. The boat is named Reepicheep after a mouse character in The Chronicles of Narnia. Frank finds fishing equipment and speculates that the boat belonged to cabin guy. Frank surmises that cabin guy wrecked and made the best of his time stranded there by building the cabin. They travel on, finding a freshwater river full of salmon. Frank catches one, using the gaff from the fishing boat, but is joyless as he tries to catch another and fails. Chris worries again about Frank’s rage and what it will mean for their survival.
Chapters 4-6 Analysis
For Chris, the skeleton tree takes on significance in the context of the loss of his father and uncle in rapid succession. He’s scared of the skeletons in the coffins but holds reverence for the site. In stark contrast, Frank holds no reverence for the site and understands the tree with logical reasoning devoid of connection to his own recent losses. Again, Frank presents a foil for Chris, who is attempting to address his grief, introducing the theme of Death as Inevitable and Natural.
Chris demonstrates repeatedly that empathy drives much of his decision-making. When he sees that the living raven is clearly mourning the dead one, Chris understands the emotion behind the bird’s actions and takes action to help. He may not yet be able to deal with his own grief or lay it to rest, but he takes action to help another do so. Throughout the novel, empathy drives many of Chris’s decisions, suggesting a young man of burgeoning good character.
Throughout the story, the trash littered around the coast symbolizes the all-encompassing impact of humanity. The boys find shoes, buckets, and a fishing boat with the engine intact on an island so remote that no lights can be seen in any direction. The reach of humans and the damage they can cause seems endless.
In two separate incidences of foreshadowing, Chris compares Frank, first in cruelty and then in physical appearance, to his deceased father. While Chris struggles to understand his deceased father, who was absent much of his life, he latches onto the crueler parts of Frank’s character as a means of processing his relationship with his father.
North American perceptions of masculinity and the expectations that accompany these perceptions play a central role in the relationship between Chris and Frank. Frank has developed a hardened exterior, but at night he cries, and in the moment of the greatest threat to his survival, Frank went into shock, snapping out of it only once the danger had passed. Frank’s understanding of what he’s meant to project as a North American teen is corrosive to his own emotional health. He’s unable to lower his guard, even given the risk of extreme cold, danger, and (worst of all) loneliness. Likewise, Chris understands the power struggle between the boys: “If I let him push me around once, it would never stop. He would just push harder the next time” (33). The boys now exist outside of civilization, yet they can’t shake its social expectations. As a result, they’re not free to express themselves or create a meaningful relationship.
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