Other elements that are present in this novel are symbols and metaphors. Symbols are the use of some unrelated idea to represent something else. Metaphors are direct comparisons made between characters and ideas. There are many symbols and metaphors used by the author such as:
1.) “The next morning, Roy walks to the bus stop and notices some ospreys have built a nest at the top of a concrete utility pole. He’s excited to see them, because he had seen them in Montana, too, and didn’t think he’d find them here. He finds it remarkable that the same species of bird can thrive in tow places so far apart and so completely different. It makes him feel like maybe he can do the same thing.” (The ospreys are a metaphor for Roy’s inability to adapt to change for awhile after he comes to Florida.)
2.) “The ‘den.’ This is a code word for Roy’s father sitting down with him whenever there’s some serious explaining to be done.” (The den is symbolic for both discipline and a parent’s attempt to reason with his child.)
3.) “The ‘den.’ This is a code word for Roy’s father sitting down with him whenever there’s some serious explaining to be done.” (The den is symbolic for both discipline and a parent’s attempt to reason with his child.)
4.) Roy rides away like he’s climbing a mountain in Montana, and he won’t stop until he’s reached the crest. This is a metaphor for climbing the mountain of indecision and then finding the answer at the top.
5.) Chuck Muckle is the first to speak to the crowd. He makes a welcoming speech and then hands out goldpainted shovels to the city officials who all shovel a bit of dirt simultaneously to Beatrice’s quiet comment that they all need to get a life. Here we see the silly behavior of adults as symbolic of the lies they live.
Title: Hoot
Author: Carl Hiassen
Date Published: 2002
Meaning of the Title: It refers to the owls who are protected by a group of children who discover something deeper in life.
Setting: Coconut Cove, Florida during the present day
Protagonist: Roy Eberhardt who chooses to stand up for the endangered owls
Dana Matherson, the company officials of Mother Paula’s Pancake House, Lonna Leep, and Roy’s own inner doubts and fears.
The mood is at times frustrating as we watch Roy try to adjust to a new community and the bully who makes his life miserable. But mostly, it is uplifting as we see several young people make decisions on behalf of what is right and good.
It is written omnisciently as if viewed by a source outside all the action.
This story is written in the past tense.
The rising action begins in chapter one when Roy becomes interested in the running boy.
Roy Eberhardt becomes inetersted in a running boy who has no shoes and lives in the woods. The relationship he eventually forges with this boy and his sister Beatrice leads him to protest the destruction of the natural environment of the Burrow Owls. Through these experiences, he grows up and learns the meaning of integrity.
The climax of the story occurs when Roy and his friends stand up against a national corporation to protect the owls.
The company backs down and even donates money to preserve the natural site they were going to build on. Those who stood against the protest end up losing their jobs or otherwise frustrated while those who stood up for what is right learn what it is to do the right thing.
Clapsaddle, Diane. "TheBestNotes on Hoot".
TheBestNotes.com.
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