Weasel

Weasel (1990) by Cynthia DeFelice is a coming-of-age, historical adventure novel for middle grade readers. The novel was an ALA Notable Book and a Notable Book in the Field of Social Studies. It’s set in Ohio during the 1830s, and Weasel is the book’s villain. He used to attack Indigenous people, and now he’s assaulting white settlers. With the help of a mysterious man, 11-year-old Nathan Fowler and his family confront Weasel. The narrative centers on themes like Needing Others and Self-Reliance to Survive, Fraught Morals in a Lethal Status Quo, and Accepting Pain and Embracing Positivity. DeFelice has published several other award-winning novels for young people, including a sequel to Weasel, Bringing Ezra Back (2006).

This guide refers to the 1991 Avon Camelot edition.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide include depictions of anti-Indigenous oppression, settler colonialism, graphic violence, murder, and death. Additionally, the source material uses pejorative and dated language to describe Indigenous people, which is replicated in this guide only in direct quotations.

Plot Summary

Nathan Fowler is 11 years old, and he and his nine-year-old sister, Molly, live on their family farm in Ohio. The year is 1839, and their father, Pa, has been missing for six days. Their mother, Mama, died last year due to a fever. Their Mama wore a locket containing the hair of Nathan, Molly, and Pa, and now their Pa wears the locket.

One night, a mysterious man knocks on the door, and he has Mama’s locket. Though he can’t talk, Nathan and Molly follow him, hoping that he’ll lead them to Pa. The mysterious man is Ezra Ketcham. The United States Army hired Ezra and a man known as Weasel to “remove” the Shawnee tribe, with “remove” serving as a euphemism for violent displacement or murder. Ezra became remorseful, and he started to identify as a Shawnee. He dressed like them and absorbed their lifestyle, marrying a Shawnee woman, Gives-light-as-she-walks, who refused to leave. Weasel reacted brutally to Ezra’s change of heart. He cut out Ezra’s tongue and killed Gives-light-as-she-walks in front of him. The townspeople used to admire Weasel, but now he’s attacking them, so they’re fearful of him.

Pa is at Ezra’s wigwam, and he needs medical attention. Thankfully, Molly brought Mama’s medicine bag. Mama taught her how to use it, but Molly forgets, so Ezra helps her. He makes witch hazel and tends to Pa. Eventually, Pa gets better. What ailed Pa was his leg. While hunting, he stepped into a trap that Weasel set; Weasel took his gun and knife but let Pa live. Pa tried to walk with the trap, but the pain was too much. Ezra found and rescued him.

Nathan realizes that no one has fed the animals back at the farm, so Ezra draws him a detailed map, and Nathan finds his way home. The pig and some of the chickens are dead, and Nathan surmises that Weasel is the culprit. Nathan takes the horse and mule and goes back to Ezra’s house. Weasel tracks Nathan, and Nathan tries to repel him. Nathan gets Weasel to shoot himself in the leg, but he still manages to kidnap Nathan.

Weasel’s home is as foul as him, and he drinks to dull the pain in his leg. Before going to sleep, he carelessly ties Nathan to a chair. Nathan undoes the knots and gets Pa’s gun from a sleeping Weasel. Nathan doesn’t kill Weasel, but he wishes he would have. Reunited with Ezra and his family, Weasel preoccupies Nathan, though his father tries to get him to think about better things.

On a warm February day, Nathan takes Pa’s gun and sneaks off to Weasel’s home. As he approaches Weasel’s cabin, a furry creature runs out. Startled, Nathan falls to the ground and loses the rifle. Nathan gets up, goes inside, and realizes that Weasel is dead. Nathan concludes that Weasel’s untreated leg infected his body. Unable to hunt or get food or water, Weasel died. Ezra appears and helps Nathan bury Weasel.

Molly pushes Ezra to go to Kansas to be with the Shawnees. Before he leaves, he gives Molly a locket featuring her likeness and a lock of his hair. He also gives Nathan a hat that looks like the hat that President Andrew Jackson wore.

Molly and Pa are excited to go to the dance and fiddle contest in town, but Nathan remains upset about Weasel. As they ride into town, the spring environment improves his mood. The festivities also make Nathan feel better, and he realizes that he’s not thinking about Weasel. Nathan wants to learn to play the fiddle, and in all his songs, he’ll commemorate Ezra and the Shawnees.