Eskimo Boy Summary
Pipaluk Freuchen

Everything you need to understand or teach Eskimo Boy by Pipaluk Freuchen.

  • Eskimo Boy Summary & Study Guide

Eskimo Boy Summary

Eskimo Boy provides an authentic picture of Eskimo life, a culture in many ways different from our own. Freuchen's novel reveals much about the routine of everyday Eskimo life—the meals, clothes, and amusements—as well as the continual struggle for survival in a harsh, unforgiving climate. The author speaks with authority on these matters, having spent much of her childhood in Greenland.

The novel is both a tale of adventure, filled with action and suspense, and a sensitive story of a boy forced to grow up in all too short a time. Freuchen's account of hunting and being hunted on the Greenland ice is exciting in itself.

She describes the Eskimo ways of hunting seal, walrus, fox, and polar bear. The difficulty Ivik, the main character, faces in providing for his grandfather, mother, and younger brother and sisters makes for interesting reading. Eskimo Boy also...

(read more from the Short Guide)