How I Became a Ghost: A Choctaw Trail of Tears Story

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2013

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-3

Chapters 4-7

Chapters 8-11

Chapters 12-17

Chapters 18-27

Chapters 28-29

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Chapters 28-29Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 28 Summary: “Panther and the Wolf”

Isaac watches as the wolf that killed him climbs out of the cavern. It looks at Naomi and Joseph but then sees the leader of the soldiers on the ground. Joseph turns into a panther while the wolf approaches the soldier. The panther kills the wolf and drops it at the feet of the soldier. Isaac and Nita appear before the soldier, and Joseph turns back to human form in front of him. He realizes that Joseph is the panther and agrees to take the rest of the soldiers back to their wagon for the day. Choctaw ghosts, including the famous General Pushmataha, appear to tell Nita, Joseph, Naomi, and Isaac that they are proud of them.

Chapter 29 Summary: “Pushmataha and the Choctaw Four”

The leader of the soldier has the bonepickers’ wagon replaced and gives new blankets to those whose blankets were burned. The soldiers also bring bags of corn to each wagon on the trail. Naomi returns to her family, and Isaac and Nita join them for supper that evening. Still facing the cold weather and shortages of food for the winter, everyone is relieved that the soldiers are leaving them alone to be with their families undisturbed, and Isaac feels extra protection from having met General Pushmataha. The story ends with General Pushmataha telling them “chi pisa lachike.”

Chapters 28-29 Analysis

In this section, we again see strength of community and protective function of the supernatural. The Choctaw ghosts acknowledge the pride they feel in response to the actions of Isaac, Luke, Joseph, and Naomi. When Chief Pushmataha visits them, Isaac is for the first time relieved to feel the shiver that precedes his visits from ghosts, indicating that he finally understands his supernatural visions and accepts them: This moment reveals the end of his character arc. Naomi’s freedom is celebrated with a meal shared by Isaac’s family and Naomi’s family. Naomi refers to Isaac’s family as her “bigger family” (140).

The conflict between the Choctaws and Nahullos, previously at its height, reaches a turning point when Joseph saves the leader of the soldiers from the wolf. With that act, Joseph prompts the Nahullos to retreat from their abuse of the Choctaws. With this conflict behind the Choctaws, they now must face the other challenges of their walk, but those challenges pale in comparison to the conflict with the Nahullos. Isaac acknowledges that the Nahullos had been the Choctaws’ “most feared enemy” (141).