Chapter 22: The Spring in the Winter and the Beginning of My Story's End

The owl's eggs seem to mark a turning point, as the woods begin to come back to life in preparation for Spring. Sam is concerned about losing Frightful, who is a tamed falcon despite instinct telling him to seek freedom. One day Sam encounters Matt Spell, a boy his age who wishes to write about the "wild boy" of the Catskills for a newspaper called the Poughkeepsie New Yorker. Sam feeds the boy and pretends he is not the person Matt is seeking. He goes on to lie about what the wild boy looks like, but the young reporter knows the truth and says so. Matt makes a deal with Sam, however, that he will write whatever Sam tells him if he's allowed to spend spring vacation with Sam. Sam agrees to this, if he can blindfold Matt so that his home's location will not be revealed.

Sam goes over the encounter in his head, and returns to his home to find Jessie Coon James on his bed, asleep. Sam then realizes Jessie may well be a female, not a male. That night he holds a conversation in what he calls a forum, as different people in his life discuss what should be done about Matt Spell. For the first time ever, though, Sam imagines Frightful joining in the conversation, not wanting Matt to come because he eats too much; while Sam and the others in his head are delighted by this, Frightful goes on to add that Sam really wants to be found, or else he would not have told Matt all that he did. This displeases Sam, who goes to sleep.

Notes:
The idea that Sam is actually able to fool Matt with his false account of the wild boy is amusing and another comedic highlight of the book. Notice that Matt allows Sam to talk as much as he wants, not stating what he really thinks or wants until he's ready and has some leverage. In a sense, then, Sam is hanging himself with his own words ' but also from the desire for more human companionship. This last part is emphasized by the way he projects thoughts into Frightful that he cannot express for himself. That he even attributes human thought and speech to Frightful ' who up to now is seen almost exclusively as a beast guided by animal instincts and needs ' show how desperately Sam seeks interaction with others like himself. That the others in the forum are pleased with Frightful's debut in such imagined gatherings is a further reinforcement of that notion.

Chapter 23: I Cooperate with the Ending

With spring coming, the animals were no longer spending as much time together for survival, and by April Sam was no longer relying on the food he stored for the winter. He resumes bathing in the spring each morning and makes up songs when he bathes. One day Sam meets Aaron, a hiker from New York City who writes songs. Aaron listens to the songs that Sam shares with him, many inspired by nature. Aaron does not ask any personal questions of Sam, which left him feeling ambivalent: was it because Aaron respected Sam's privacy, or because he already knew about Sam from the papers? Sam again recalls the imaginary words of Frightful about how he wants to be found and sought out a human being. Aaron takes a nap, as does Sam, but when Sam wakes Aaron is no longer around. Aaron's mention that he was upstate for Passover also reminds him that he must meet Matt soon.

Several days later, Sam meets Matt as they had previously agreed, and blindfolds the reporter before taking him to the tree home. Matt and Sam speak briefly about why he decided to set aside civilization for the wilds, but as the days pass Matt adjusts in his own way to nature as well. Near the end of the week, Sam and Matt are surprised to find Bando had dropped by for his own spring vacation. The three agree to make a guest house from one of the other hemlock trees and Sam realizes he is not as isolated as before. Matt confesses there may be some photographers in the area, and Bando pulls out Matt's article and some follow-ups in other papers.

Matt had to leave for school and Bando stayed to help burn another guest house. Soon after Bando left, Mr. Jacket ' whose real name is Tom Sidler ' comes out to meet Sam and spend time with him. Tom visits Sam regularly and lets him know about what he's doing in town. Aaron also returns to visit Sam, staying for a week and again not asking questions. Bando visits more often but no longer mentions newspaper stories; Sam observes that he seems to have an address now. Sam asks Bando for a shirt and some blue jeans, so perhaps he can play with Tom in town.

Notes:
The title of this chapter shows that Sam sees his adventure as a narrative in its own right. The abandonment of the animals ' no longer as dependent on him as they were in the winter ' is replaced with increased companionship from humans such as Bando, Matt, and Tom. While Sam sees the larger meaning in helping to build guest treehouses at his camp, he is not troubled enough to stop the process. This foreshadows the larger community from civilization that will come to live with Sam ' namely, his family.

Chapter 24: The City Comes to Me

One June day, Sam is lying on a rock in the meadow when a photographer starts taking his picture. He agrees to pose but refuses to take him back to the tree houses. After the photographer leaves, two more photographers and a reporter arrives. Sam considers moving to the West. For four days, he talks with many reporters and photographers. On the fifth day, he hears his Dad's voice and the sound of many people approaching. He wants to run far away but the desire to see his Dad overrides these concerns. Knowing it is all over, he goes to greet his father and the horde accompanying him.

However, Sam soon realizes it's his entire family with Dad, not reporters and photographers or anyone to take him away. He is ecstatic to see his Mom and his eight siblings. They have decided to live off the Gribley farm with Sam; Sam's mother decided that if he doesn't want to come home, they will bring home to him. Mother assures him that he can do whatever he wants when he grows up, but in the meanwhile she has to take care of him. The next day, Sam is upset when Dad tells him they will be building a house. However, Dad points out that Mother took all the public criticisms personally about how she didn't do her maternal duty ' a judgment Sam disputes ' but that the nation became her neighbors and she doesn't anyone to think he's neglected. Mother adds that this is how it will be until he is eighteen.

Notes:
The ending expertly plays up certain expectations ' that Sam's time in the woods is rapidly coming to an end with all the press coverage ' but instead provides an unexpected solution, whereby his family comes to him since he won't return to his family. It is an intriguing compromise ' Sam gets to have the best parts of the wilderness as well as civilization, his family (especially his mother's) reputation is restored without having to cave in by returning to New York City. While he is forced to give up his solitude, the company he will keep is preferable to the reporters and photographers plaguing him up to then. And while he is told that he will live in a building, his protest is weak in the face of maternal fiat. That is, despite asserting his independence throughout the book, his mother has the final word on what is best for him until he's eighteen.