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The Journal Douglas Allen Deeds The Donner Party Expedition, 1846 Written by Rodman Philbrick
In the very popular Freak the Mighty, Philbrick showed his ability to capture the attention of young readers and keep them enthusiastically turning the pages. That feat is repeated in The Journal of Douglas Allen Deeds. In exciting journal entries, Philbrick brings his readers into the Donner Party wagon train and allows us to walk in their shoes. Dreams of a new life in California disappear when the members of the party choose to take a new route to California and get caught in mountain winter snows. With vivid words Philbrick paints portraits of paralyzing hunger, life-threatening cold, and the unnerving transformation of human beings into animals bent on staying alive. Rodman Philbrick says, “One of the books that made a big impression on me as a young reader was Boone Island by Kenneth Roberts. It tells the true story of several men shipwrecked on an island within sight of the coast of Maine. The winter weather was bitter cold, they had little hope of being rescued, and at the point of death the survivors finally resorted to cannibalism. The story of what happened to the Donner Party is, I think, similarly horrifying and yet fascinating. To me it symbolized all the excitement and danger of the Western Migration. I’m sure I’m not the only reader who wonders what I might do, faced with a similar dilemma in an extreme situation.”
Summary
But, progress is slow with the wagon train making “no more than 15 miles on our best day.” The heat is intense, and poisoned water holes claim some of the oxen. The travelers look forward to reaching Fort Bridger where they can rest and replenish their supplies, and where Lansford Hastings himself will come and guide them through the “cut-off.” Fort Bridger turns out to be a rough settlement where everything costs ten times more that it should. To make matters worse, Hastings does not show up. Still, the party seems determined to follow the Hastings shortcut even though a mountain man warns them that they cannot drive their wagons across it. Tamsen Donner, wife of George, voices her opposition but is voted down. The party is still confident that Hastings will join them. When it turns out he won’t, their optimism fades. Douglas writes, “I’ve never seen a party so discouraged. The blackness of this canyon has seeped into our hearts and stolen away our hopes.” Now, the party must chop and cut their way through the blocked up canyons. Finally, they reach the Great Salt Lake, only to find there’s no drinking water, and it will take days to cross the barren salt flats. When they reach the mountains, snow has fallen, and they must keep moving. Indians steal their horses and cattle. Tempers flare. James Reed kills a man and is banished from the group. The arrival of Charles Stanton from California with fresh food and mules encourages the group until they try to move on and are stopped by deep snow and no trail to follow. They must camp by a frozen lake, which is dubbed Starvation Lake. Food supplies dwindle and Douglas worries about what they’ll find to eat. He writes,“ Soon we will eat the skinny cattle, and scrape what little meat we can from their skinny bones. And then, when that is gone, what shall we eat?” Escape from this place is a must, and the party fashions snowshoes and attempts to hike out. They call themselves The Forlorn Hope. The cold and hunger proves too much for their guide Mr. Stanton, who dies. The party struggles on, but without food they turn to savagery. When three more travelers die, the others do not bury them, saying they might prove useful. Douglas writes, “My whole body screamed for food, but the horror of what they were about to do made me run away. I ran away out of fear that if I stayed, I, too, would become an eater of the dead.” Douglas manages to survive by killing and eating a rabbit. He ends his journal, “I don’t know if I will survive this terrible ordeal. Salvation may be over the next hill, or it may not. But one thing I know. Some folks will do terrible things to stay alive.”
Thinking About the Book 2. What is “The Book?” Why do most of the travelers think it is “a marvelous book?” How do their perceptions of it change? Why? 3. What is it about Douglas that causes Mr. George Donner to say it was a lucky day when Douglas joined up (June 5th)? 4. Why is James Reed banished from the wagon train? Would you have voted for this punishment?
5. In a few sentences define each of the following terms and why they are important in Douglas’s story?
6. Who do you think is the most heroic character in The Journal of Douglas Allen Deeds? Why did you chose this person? 7. On August 20th Mr. Breen says, “If it wasn’t for bad luck, we’d have no luck at all.” What does he mean? On November 22nd Douglas writes, “You can’t stop a whisper. It always finds a way to fly from ear to ear.” What does he mean? Do you think it is true? 8. Rodman Philbrick, the author of The Journal of Douglas Allen Deeds, does a fine job using words to describe the fear and desperation that grips the Donner Party. What journal entry do you think does the best job of showing these feelings? Compare your choice with the entries chosen by other members of your group. 9. In Douglas’s journal entry for December 27th he writes, “Foster stared at me so hard it felt like a punch from his fist. Then speaking very slowly, as if to a child, he said, ‘We will eat what has been provided.’” Explain what Foster was telling Douglas.
Student Activities 2. In your discussion group debate the following statement: The person or event most responsible for the Donner Party tragedy was Lunsford W. Hastings. 3.Douglas Deeds and the rest of the settlers started out from Independence, Missouri, and had to cross rivers, plains, deserts and mountains on their way to California. Trace the route they took at http://members.aol.com/DanMRosen/donner/maps.htm 4. Snowshoes helped save some of the lives of the Donner Party. In his journal entry for December 17th Douglas writes, “The thing about snowshoes, you got to run sort of bowlegged, and it wears you out.” Borrow a pair of snowshoes and try walking with them on. Is Douglas right? Is it awkward? 5. The Donner party encountered many different Indian tribes on their trek west: the Kaw, Sioux , Payhoot (Paiute) and Crow. See what you can find out about these tribes. How did they treat the members of the Donner party? 6. One of the most popular poems written by an American poet is Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken.” Read this poem in your discussion group. Do the poem and The Journal of Douglas Allen Deeds have anything in common? 7. Note to Teachers and Discussion Group Leaders: A teacher’s guide for study of the Donner Party can be found at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/donner/tguide.html
An Interview with Rodman Philbrick Rodman Philbrick: I didn’t have to make it all up! Although my narrator is a fictional character, the events really happened exactly as I described them. There is so much historical information about the Donner tragedy that I wasn’t even tempted to improve on the reality. RFA & EST: The Donner Party had many things that worked together to make the trip the tragedy it was from weather to terrain to hunger and human power struggles. But, in some ways, the main culprit seems to have been Lansford Warren Hastings and the book he authored. Would you tell us more about him? Why did he write the book? Did he have good intentions? RP: Hastings deserves a novel of his own. He was many things: self-promoter, con-artist, politician, and travel writer. But the one thing he claimed to be — an expert on the way west — was the one thing he had no talent for. His intentions may have been good, but if I may say so, the road to the horror at Starvation Lake was paved with good intentions! The Donner Expedition’s belief in Hastings’ faulty information about a shorter route to California led them to their doom. RFA & EST: Other than your main character, Douglas, who is your favorite character in the book? Why? RP: I’d have to say Charles Stanton, who made it to safety and then at great peril to his life returned with supplies for the stranded party. They repaid his kindness by refusing to share food with him. Stanton responded by offering to lead a desperate snowshoe expedition that became known as the Forlorn Hope. He perished along the way. Stanton had the kind of quiet courage I admire. RFA & EST:If your readers wanted to read more about the Donner Party Expedition, is there a book or two you would recommend? RP: Survivor Virginia Reed, daughter of James Reed, published a short book called Across The Plains with the Donner Party. It isn’t always accurate but it makes good reading. I’d also suggest that curious readers try exploring the many Internet sources, as I did. Any search engine will give you dozens of interesting sites. RFA & EST: James Reed is a character a reader remembers long after the journal is completed. If you had only two or three words to describe James what would those words be? Why? RP: Reed was both stupidly arrogant and splendidly courageous. Arrogant because he was sure he was right even when he was obviously wrong, and courageous because he ultimately did manage to rescue his family. RFA & EST: As a boy you were impressed with another true survival story — one that took place in Maine on Boone Island and also involved cannibalism. In researching the Donner Party’s similar brush with bitter cold, starvation, and death, what did you discover that surprised you most? RP: What surprised me most about the Donner tragedy was that, given the terrible circumstances, how anyone survived at all. RFA & EST: If you could ask young readers of Douglas’s journal one question after they finished reading your book, what would that question be? RP: Did you enjoy the story? Did it make you want to read more books? I hope the answer is ‘yes’ to both questions. RFA & EST: What is one thing you would want your readers to take with them after reading The Journal of Douglas Allen Deeds?
RP: I hope my readers come away with an appreciation of the difficulties faced by our incredibly brave ancestors, who risked everything to seek a better life, and managed to build the wonderful country we now enjoy.
Discussion guide written by Richard F. Abrahamson, Ph.D., Professor of Literature for Children and Young Adults and Eleanore S. Tyson, Ed.D., Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Houston, Houston, Texas.
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