Dear Mr Kilmer

By

Anne Schraf

CHAPTER 1
A Short Misfired

Synopsis

*Richard Knight is a quiet,sensitive lad of fifteen.He is ou

deer hunting
with his father and his elder brother,Gus.
*He deliberately misfires to avoid killing the beautiful
young buck.
Although his widowed father is disappointed and
pained,he allows
Richard the liberty of no deer hunting in future.
*Gus tries to encourage his small fry brother to be more
sociable and
conforming but Richard prefers his own private world of
poetry and
nature.
*After helping eldest sister Angie in the kitchen,Richard
goes to his room
to reflect on recent events.He recalls his first hunting trip

Main
Characters

Characters
and
charateristics

Richard
Knight
15 year old boy who lives on a farm in lowa .

Blonde hair,tall,pale and slender,like his mother.

Quiet,sensitive,poetic,imaginative,love nature and all living things,observ
mature,intelligent,independent,courageous,single minded,outspoken,har
working,persevering,helpful,compassions,selfless.
Has a good sense of values-integrity,honestly.
A loner,a dreamer,does not really fit in with his community.

Main
Characters

*Dark,brawy,board back.
*Did not finish high school,not interested in poetry and

books,but shares
interest in sports with Gus.
*Diligent and dedicated farmer who truly loves is work.
*A good father.
*Kind,observant and understanding,but is not very
expressive.
*Authoritative,sensible,sensitive,wise,honest.
Minor
*Reaerved,quiet,private person.

GUS

Angie

Charact
ers
*Dark,a little stout,broad build

*Richards older brother.

like Pa and Gus.
*Dark and brawny like Pa,an outdoor*Hard working,responsible,

person.
realisic,selfless,patient,
*Brotherly,a mediocre student.
understanding,non-judgementa
*Athletic,popular,sociable,showy,reck

Themes
*Love,understanding and family relationship
Though often taken for granted by Pa and Gus,Angie proves to be the
heart of the family-loving,compassionate and non-judgemental.She
knows that Pa has suffered deep emotional scars and forgives him
unconditionally.Richard is able to find some comfort and safety with
Angie in the kitchen whenever he feels left out by Pa and Gus or when
he needs someone to listen to him.

*Life is full of surprises and

ironies

When Pas wife died,he had to assume the role of single parent.It must
have been tough to raise three young children and manage farm
chores.Angie must have much inner strength to philosophically tell
Richard that Pa is a difficult man but he has lost two important people
in his life and deserves a little patience.Ironically,it is the child who is
mothering the father and brothers!

and
Moral ValuesWhen*Diligence
perseverance
Richard tells his father that purposely
misfired out of compassion for the deer,Pa
understands and tells Richard that he does
not need to hunt anymore.

*Compassion and
understanding
Angie left school in the 8th grade to take over
her mothers responsibilities as a full-time
farm woman.

Setting
Place:lowa,America-farm countryside of Turtle Lake
Country,Richards
home and school,Hannahs home,war trenches in
Europe.
Time:World War 1 (1914-1918)
Social:Lower middle class(farmers)and upper middle
class(teachers,
Schermers)