Dick's Desertion: A Boy's Adventures in Canadian Forests: A Tale of the Early Settlement of Ontario

"Dick's Desertion: A Boy's Adventures in Canadian Forests" by Marjorie L. C. Pickthall is a novel written in the early 20th century. The story explores themes of adventure, family bonds, and the pull of nature as it follows the journey of Dick Underwood, a boy from a struggling settler family in Ontario, as he navigates through the challenges of frontier life. The narrative focuses on Dick and his sister Stephanie as they grapple with loss, their responsibilities, and the allure of the wild." "The opening of the novel sets the stage for Dick's life in the Canadian wilderness after his family's relocation from England due to financial difficulties. As we meet him lounging beneath a sumach tree, he is deeply immersed in his world of dreams and imagination, crafting a birch-bark canoe. The narrative takes us through the backstory of his family, highlighting their struggles with the harsh realities of rural life after the death of their mother and their father's increasing detachment. The story contrasts the beauty of the surrounding natural landscape with the emotional turmoil within the Underwood household, ultimately leading to an internal conflict within Dick between home ties and the call of the wilderness. This dynamic is set to become a central theme as the plot unfolds."