The Half-Skinned Steer Study Guide consists of approx. 49 pages of summaries and analysis on The Half-Skinned Steer by E. Annie Proulx. Browse the literature study guide below:
Half-Skinned Steer is about a man in his eighties, Mero, who struggles with his past when he is forced to revisit his childhood home in Wyoming after his brother passes away. The story's narration moves between past and present. The protagonist compares his present life to a story he remembers hearing from his father's girlfriend while he lived on the ranch. He describes himself in his youth as a hustler. Mero grew up on a ranch on the south hinge of Big Horns. He left the ranch in 1936, went to war and married three times after retuning from war got. He made money in boilers, by cleaning air ducts and through smart investments. When he retired, Mero went into local politics and managed to run his term and exit without scandal. He never returned to Wyoming to visit his father or his brother Rollo. He knew they were bankrupt and ruined and had no urgency to see this for himself. (read more)
