Lassie Come-Home by Eric Knight
"Lassie Come-Home," written by Eric Knight, is a children's novel that tells the heartwarming tale of a loyal collie named Lassie and her young owner, Joe. Set in the English countryside, the story begins with a close bond between Lassie and Joe, highlighting her role as a beloved family member. The narrative takes a turn when Joe's family is forced to sell Lassie due to financial hardship, leading to her multiple attempts to escape and return to Joe. The author employs a third-person omniscient perspective, allowing readers to connect with the thoughts and emotions of both Lassie and the human characters.
Unlike many animal stories that focus on tragic separations or loss, "Lassie Come-Home" culminates in a happy ending where Lassie is reunited with her family, reinforcing themes of honesty and loyalty. The novel's conclusion hints at future possibilities, such as new friendships and family dynamics, while maintaining the innocence of childhood. Eric Knight's life was cut short shortly after the book's adaptation into a film, leaving readers to wonder about the potential for further adventures with Lassie. Overall, "Lassie Come-Home" stands out for its optimistic tone and moral lessons, making it a cherished classic in children's literature.
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Subject Terms
Lassie Come-Home by Eric Knight
First published: 1938, serial; 1940, book; illustrated
Type of work: Adventure tale
Themes: Animals, emotions, family, friendship, and poverty
Time of work: The 1930’s
Recommended Ages: 10-13
Locale: Greenall Bridge, Yorkshire County, England, and the Scottish Highlands
Principal Characters:
Lassie , Sam Carraclough’s tricolor collieJoe Carraclough , Sam Carroclough’s son and the fast friend of the collieSam Carraclough , the owner of Lassie when the book begins and the father of JoeMrs. Carraclough , the wife of Sam and the mother of JoeDuke of Rudling , the wealthy purchaser of Lassie, employer of Hynes, and grandfather of PriscillaHynes , the kennel keeper of the Duke of RudlingPriscilla , the granddaughter of the duke
The Story
Lassie Come-Home is an animal story with a crucial difference: In this children’s tale, all the problems are resolved at the end of the story. The reader, therefore, is spared a considerable amount of emotion during Lassie Come-Home, a modern animal adventure story. In the beginning, Lassie is a source of pride to the people of Greenall for three reasons: she is a perfect specimen of a collie, she is so punctual in meeting young Joe at the school each day that one could set a clock by her, and despite many attractive offers, her family has not sold her as a commodity but has kept her as a part of the family.
Through foreshadowing, however, the author gives a hint to the reader that things are going to change. This change comes when the Wellington Pit Mine closes and Sam finds it necessary to sell Lassie to provide food for his family. Eric Knight’s narrator is omniscient: He is able to tell the reader the thoughts and actions of all the characters—including Lassie. By knowing their thoughts, seeing them in action, and hearing their conversations in “pure” English or the broadest Yorkshire accent, the reader becomes interested in them and their fates.
Lassie desperately misses Joe. The writer uses alliteration (repetition of sounds) to describe the collie’s situation and escape to the reader. Knight states that she looked “peaked and pined and poorly,” and when she escaped, she was “gliding like a ghost.” Lassie escapes three times from her new home and returns to the school to meet Joe each time. Joe’s “broad, boyish face” shows his delight upon Lassie’s return even though she looks like a “mucky Monday wash.” Sam requires that Lassie be returned each time to her new owner. Sam, in explaining the reason for these returns to young Joe, mentions honesty and family pride—a moral lesson for the young reader.
At last the Duke of Rudling takes his new show dog to Scotland—four hundred miles away—where Lassie should have no hope of return. She is placed in the care of the kennel keeper, Hynes, who makes life difficult for Lassie. Hynes is always called by his last name without the benefit of a title such as Mrs. Carraclough or the Duke of Rudling are given. Hynes is, in fact, the only character without either a first name or a title. The meaning of this absence of a title or first name is the lack of respect or concern which Hynes has attained for himself. It is because of Hynes’s jerking the leash that Lassie’s head slips out and she escapes to try to return to England and her beloved family.
To achieve a happy ending for the young reader, the author must allow Lassie to remain with the family after her miraculous return. Since the family has no money to repurchase the dog and since the greedy duke would probably raise the purchase price anyway, the author achieves his aim ethically with reference to truth, honesty, and verbal commitments—a further moral lesson. Mr. Carraclough disguises Lassie when the duke comes to call. The duke recognizes Lassie but pretends not to do so; he verbally disclaims the dog, and Lassie is now free to remain with her family.
To complete the happy ending, the Carraclough family has a reversal of fortune. Since the duke has recognized Hynes for what he is (or is not) and has long since “sacked” him, he is able to hire Sam as his new kennel keeper. Sam and his family are given a home in a cottage on the duke’s estate. The Carracloughs’ problems are over, and the duke mumbles that finally he has a fine dog on his estate since he has now acquired Lassie.
The denouement, however, is open. The day comes when Lassie fails to meet Joe at school again. The reason is a new litter of puppies. Priscilla returns to visit the pups, and the reader gets a hint of another possible union in the future. Perhaps there would have been a sequel to Lassie Come-Home had the writer not died soon after its publication and filming.
Context
Lassie’s having multiple owners is reminiscent of Black Beauty (1877) by Anna Sewell, a book which helped to change the working conditions of horses in England. Lassie Come-Home, however, does not have the excessive sentimentality present in Black Beauty. Neither is descriptive brutality and cruelty overemphasized for young readers as it is in Beautiful Joe (1893).
Lassie Come-Home does not feature the permanent separation of the animal from its owner or the death of either the animal or the main character, standard fare in such books as Jack London’s The Call of the Wild (1903), Old Yeller (1956) by Frederick B. Gipson, Gavin Maxwell’s Ring of Bright Water (1961), Good-bye My Lady (1954) by James H. Street, Sterling North’s Rascal (1963), That Quail Robert (1966) by Margaret A. Stanger, Robert N. Peck’s A Day No Pigs Would Die (1972), Where the Red Fern Grows (1961) by Wilson Rawls, Lynd K. Ward’s Biggest Bear (1952), Marjorie K. Rawling’s The Yearling (1938), and Lad: A Dog (1919) by Albert Payson Terhune. In these books, the separation or the death of the protagonist or of the animal enables a character to mature and to face problems in life. In Lassie Come-Home, Joe remains a child throughout the book; even at the end when Priscilla comes to visit, the two are not overly sophisticated. Perhaps it is this happy ending which leaves the boy still a boy that makes the book satisfying to the younger reader.
Lassie Come-Home is Eric Knight’s only book for children. In January, 1943, his life was cut short when the U.S. military transport plane in which he was flying crashed in the jungle. This terrible tragedy occurred just after the filming of Lassie Come-Home had begun. Perhaps if Knight had not lost his life, the open denouement of the book could have been used by Knight to advantage, and an entire series of books about the noble collie Lassie, her offspring, and the boy who loved her could have followed.