Boy of the Painted Cave

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1988

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-5

Chapters 6-9

Chapters 10-12

Chapters 13-18

Character Analysis

Themes

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Important Quotes

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Character Analysis

Tao

Fourteen-year-old Tao, the novel’s protagonist, is an independent, free-thinking, and highly ethical young man, who exists at the fringes of his society. Because Tao was born with physical disability, the traditions of his people dictated he should be taken into the wilderness as a newborn and left to be eaten by predators. His mother, who had been captured and claimed on a raid, would not allow it. Like Tao, she was stubborn and guided by her own beliefs and moral code. Because of this, Tao survived, but his disability, his mother’s defiance, and his father’s disinterest in him ensured he was marginalized within his community. Adopted by Kala, a kind older woman who often takes in unwanted children, Tao survives but is never truly accepted into the clan in the role of a man and a hunter. Tao’s position on the outskirts of society contributes to his independence. Though he serves as the provider of Kala’s tent, he is not given the respect of that position within the tribe. Their low status means they must frequently provide for themselves. Tao’s independence is demonstrated in his self-sufficiency and survival abilities as well as in the choices he makes throughout the novel.

This independence works together with Tao’s free-thinking when he chooses to live apart from the clan and pursue his own dream of being a cave painter. Though he knows that the making of images by anyone other than a Chosen One is taboo, Tao sees these limitations as foolish and driven by superstition. His ability to critically examine the tribe’s belief system allows him to question his people’s boundaries and conceive of a way of life outside of the traditions. These are qualities he shares with Graybeard, as is evident when Tao quickly questions whether the “magic” the shaman performs is magic at all. His free-thinking is also evident when he accepts and values the Slough without concern for evil spirits. The reader sees his intelligence and logic applied in the scene where Tao tells Graybeard the wailing his people attribute to spirits comes from various animals in the area.

Throughout the novel, Tao follows a well-developed moral and ethical code. Though his code is not the same as his clan’s, Tao adheres to what he believes is right. This is exhibited through many of his choices in the novel. For example, when Tao and Ram raid the eagle’s nest, he takes only two of the three eggs, saying they will leave her one and it is early enough in the season that she will lay more. Another example is Tao’s decision to provide food for the clan even though they have rejected him. It would be easy for Tao to live well himself and leave the clan to suffer for their own superstition, but instead he hunts and brings food for the people. His morality and ethics are important too when Tao chooses to face Saxon rather than escape into the night after he is captured and sentenced. Though he could flee, it is important to him to stay, accept his punishment, and show the tribe he is innocent of Graybeard’s murder.

Graybeard

Graybeard is an elderly man who fills the role of shaman for the many peoples who live in the region. Like Tao, Graybeard is a character driven by intelligence, independence, and kindness. Though Graybeard performs what the people call “magic,” his intelligence allows him to keep a rational perspective on his skills and abilities. Graybeard’s position and the reverence the people hold for him could allow him to become corrupted and abusive, but his intelligence and kindness ensure he uses his power to serve and comfort. He tells Tao the belief in magic “brings hope to the people and boldness to the hunters […] if they wish to call it magic, then let it be so” (77).

Though Graybeard is more respectful of the taboos than Tao is, his intelligence and independence allow him to see them as arbitrary rules set in place by a superstitious people. Because of this, he can act outside of the belief system, which is confirmed when Graybeard agrees to teach Tao the ways of cave painting, magic, and healing. Graybeard warns Tao that he will likely never be a Chosen One but helps him follow his dreams anyway.

When Graybeard becomes ill, he spends time teaching Tao his skills and knowledge. This culminates in Graybeard’s intention to announce Tao as his successor. The reader may attribute this change of heart to Tao’s influence on the old man’s growth. His mindset has changed from one of blanket acceptance of the clan’s limitations to one of hope that he can enact change by advocating for Tao. The two have bonded over their positions on the outskirts and have connected because of Tao’s natural talent and intelligence. Graybeard’s plan to show the hunters Tao’s drawings once they have already been completed is in stark contrast to his initial orders that Tao must never allow anyone to see them. Graybeard dies the way he lived: on the outskirts of society. Like Tao, his partial outsider perspective gives him space to examine the way people think and act and to assess situations critically and rationally.

Kala

Kala is an elderly woman and Tao’s adoptive guardian. She feels safe in her breaking of minor clan rules due to her age and reputation as an eccentric old woman. Like Tao and Graybeard, this places her partially on the margins of society and allows her to get away with behaviors others may not, such as rescuing Tao from the fate his father assigned to him. She shares the open-mindedness of Graybeard and Tao, which allows her to break some of the clan’s taboos. For example, rescuing Tao, which Volt deemed an evil curse. Another example is her cautious acceptance of Tao’s early childhood drawings, though she is insistent that Tao scratch out his drawings and never allow any others to see them.

Kala is a kind and loving woman, who takes in otherwise unwanted children and gives them a safe home. At the time of the novel, she has several adoptive children. This shows her generosity, as rations are low, and she struggles to get enough food even for herself. When she attempts to free Tao from his bonds in the last chapters of the book, Kala is risking her own life out of love for him. Her actions here, and in saving children with no one to look out for them, show that she is a brave and caring person, who is willing to sacrifice herself for others.

Volt

Volt is the leader of the tribe and, though neither Tao nor the reader know it until the end of the book, Tao’s father. A deeply superstitious man, Volt lives in fear of curses and evil spirits. These beliefs guide him and cause him to make decisions that are regressive and punitive. He is set in his ways and does not change his mind easily. Volt has heavy scars on his face from an attack in the Slough that killed his mother; though he was too young to remember, Volt believes that they were attacked by a wolf dog. This belief causes him to insist on a taboo against wolf dogs, even though nearby clans freely use the animals to help in hunting. Tao and Graybeard, both able to approach situations more rationally, doubt that a wolf dog would have attacked in such a way or caused such scarring, but they know there is no point in trying to convince Volt.

There are times when Volt seems to have a softer side, particularly with Tao. He seems conflicted about his abandoned son. In some cases Volt is very strict, and in others he seems to allow Tao space to be his own person. For example, when Tao announces he will go live alone in the caves, Volt allows it, though he says Tao must provide for himself. Later, when Tao is hiding in the willow tree, Volt seems to look right at him. This implies that Volt did see Tao but did not mention it to the other hunters, effectively sparing Tao. Similarly, Volt sentences Tao to face Saxon but also provides him with the spear he needs for mobility and without which he would have surely died. During the encounter, Volt also leaps down and distracts Saxon by yelling and making large movements. Though Volt is ultimately limited by his fear of evil spirits, there are suggestions of a complex character who turns to spiritual belief to answer his worries about the welfare of his tribe and whose ambivalence about his son causes him to act in contradictory ways.