Hans Brinker; or, The Silver Skates Summary
Mary Mapes Dodge

Hans Brinker; or, The Silver Skates Summary

Hans Brinker; or, The Silver Skates is in some respects a dated novel; the world it describes has long since disappeared. But young adults still must face the moral and ethical problems its characters encounter. For example, Hans Brinker must constantly choose between his own inclinations and the morally responsible act. Should he spend a gift of money on steel skates or on food for his family? Should he keep the purse he has found, which contains a sizable sum, or return it to the rightful owner? Should he attack those who humiliate him and his family? Should he help a rival in the race for the silver skates or take advantage of his opponent's equipment failure to win? His sister Gretel must grapple with mixed emotions about a demented father who abuses her mother and with feelings of anger from the taunts of well-to-do girls.

Moreover, those...

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