Big Red

Danny has a close relationship with his father, Ross Pickett, at the novel’s start. What conflicts emerge between the two characters? How does Danny handle these disagreements? What is the wider significance of their bond?

Danny is familiar with dogs and lives with four hounds at the cabin. However, when he meets Red in Chapter 1, he thinks Red is special. What is unique about Red? Why does Danny feel so drawn to him? In what ways does Danny and Red’s meeting foreshadow the evolution and nature of their relationship?

Mr. Haggin allows Red to live with Danny. How does the dog’s presence at the cabin change Danny’s life? What does the novel suggest about interspecies connections via Danny and Red’s relationship?

Danny leaves home for the first time when he travels to New York with Mr. Haggin. In what ways does the trip change him? How does the setting of New York compare to that of the Wintapi?

Does Danny’s regard for Mr. Haggin change over time? If so, how and why? What events, incidents, and experiences might influence this change?

What conflicts does Danny encounter during his time in the woods, and how do each of these conflicts influence Danny’s journey towards adulthood? Identify specific examples from the text. 

Old Majesty is the infamous bear who appears throughout Big Red. How is the bear characterized? What is his wider significance in the text?

Danny does not just interact with Red, but also has important encounters and bonds with other animals and natural elements throughout the novel. How do issues of empathy and power emerge within these human-animal interactions? How is nature depicted?