comment on structure

The novel is structured in fifteen chapters and follows a linear progression beginning with True Son's delivery into the hands of the whites and ending with his rejection by his Indian kin. Most chapters cover a small space of time around a single important event: the start of the journey to Pennsylvania, Half Arrow's appearance and his accompanying True Son, the family reunion at the Butler house, etc. Some stages of the story, such as the journey of True Son and Half Arrow back to their village, are spread out over multiple chapters because the material they deal with warrants fuller narration. The author draws out this journey because it is important to give a sense of the slowness with which they are making their way home. They want to savor the freedom they have in the wild, so passages in these chapters are fat with descriptions of the natural world and what it means to True Son.