Ch. 7: Pine Billy

In my opinion, the author's intent is to make the reader aware of the importance of tradition. In Chapter Seven, Little Tree learns the laborious, traditional ways of farming and feels proud helping plow the land. Granma is wise about plants and teaches Little Tree about their medicinal uses. By teaching these skills, the grandparents are showing Little Tree how to become self sufficient off the land. Pine Billy is one of the many colorful characters in their lives. From a child's perspective, Little Tree sees him as wise and successful, though of course his get-rich-quick schemes are nonsense. But the fact that Granma and Granpa consider him a friend is enough for Little Tree to recognize him as kinfolk. Granpa especially loves hearing him play the fiddle, which has relevance later in the story.