59 pages • 1 hour read
Elvira WoodruffGeorge Washington's Socks
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1991A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 14-15 Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 14 Summary
A new character, Nathan Hornbee, awakens Matt. Mr. Hornbee, an older, kind man, is sympathetic to the rebel cause, though not a part of the Continental Army. He gently insists that Matt leave Israel’s body behind. They must go quickly, Mr. Hornbee says, “just through these woods, not an hour’s ride” (83) to his farm, due to local Tories (loyalists to Britain) nearby.
When Matt awakens, he relishes the comfort of bed, blankets, good smells, and dry clothes—even though he wears a woman’s gown. He sees rustic furnishings and Mr. Hornbee’s wife, Temperance, at a loom. Mr. Hornbee gives Matt stew and says a drummer asked him on the road last night to help Matt and Israel. Matt thinks it was Henry. Matt compares the painful night to a bad dream.
Chapter 15 Summary
When Matt asks if Mr. Hornbee is a patriot, Mrs. Hornbee immediately cuts their conversation. Mr. Hornbee confides to Matt that though neither he nor his wife are Tories, she lives with great fear of the conflict. The British raided their farm because Mr. Hornbee chose to not sign protection papers, which would indicate allegiance to Britain. Mr. Hornbee tells Matt that though he wants to see the rebels win, he and his wife are “too old to be a part of this struggle” (89).
Impulsively, Matt tries to explain how he came from the future. Mr. Hornbee thinks Matt took a hit to the head, and Temperance has none of it. She insists Matt leave, as he is clearly a danger to them and their farm. Matt dresses in his dry clothes and accepts a deerskin coat from Mr. Hornbee. Blackjack, the Hornbee mule, will take Matt to the river. Temperance relents and brings Matt a pair of shoes.
Upon leaving, Matt thinks to give Israel’s beads to Mr. Hornbee to send to Abby but discovers them gone. Bereft and guilt-stricken, he rides into the woods, alone except for Blackjack the mule.
Noises begin to perk Matt’s ears. Though afraid, he tries to be unconcerned, especially since Blackjack doesn’t seem bothered.
Chapters 14-15 Analysis
Mr. Hornbee serves as a guardian figure to Matt and offers him a brief respite from his struggles. He saves Matt from the cold, allows him to warm up, dry off, and eat, and he soothes Matt’s grief over Israel. At the same time, Mrs. Hornbee serves as a symbol of continued strife and fear. Her actions suggest harshness and bitterness. She shows Matt that in a time of war, unhappiness and anxiety will tinge comfort and rest.
The author uses connotation to characterize Mrs. Hornbee. Her hair is “pulled back tight in an angry little bun” (85); her expression is “drab” and she has a “shrill tinny voice” (85). Her fear of the war and its consequences transform her into an unpleasant woman, filled with apprehension and no room for kindness. She demonstrates only a moment of sympathy when she brings Matt shoes to protect his feet.
Matt’s character continues to develop in these chapters. Instead of simple mental notes comparing the comforts of home to the hard life of Revolutionary America, he now draws parallels between those he knows at home and those he meets in 1775. Some have a clear parallel, like Mrs. Hornbee to Mrs. Pritchet, Matt’s former teacher, but others, like Israel, seem to have no comparison at all.
Matt’s experience at Mr. Hornbee’s farm serves two purposes in the narrative. First, Matt sees yet another side of war, this time from the perspective of bystanders who want to keep their views quiet but must live through the consequences of the conflict.
Second, Matt’s character arc changes direction at this point in the book; the experience at Mr. Hornbee’s farm is a crucial step in his “journey” as the protagonist and his quest to return home again. To this point, Matt has not been alone. Friends, new acquaintances, and crowds of officers and soldiers have accompanied him. Even when Israel dies, Matt is sleeping and unaware, and Mr. Hornbee’s presence seamlessly replaces Israel’s companionship.
Matt has made decisions mostly impulsively and many major events have befallen him (without his active choice). At this stage, Matt must face part of his journey alone, with only an animal companion who cannot speak or help him in his decisions. Matt accepts the task and undertakes the trip through the woods alone, except for Blackjack. Though fearful, he withstands the test, not turning back and coaching himself through his own skittishness. His solitary trial symbolizes a maturation and a passage into the next part of his journey. Consequently, Matt’s own decisions will have a more direct impact on the plot.
