Publisher's Synopsis
William Dean Howells' charming story of a young boy named Frank Baker, who is nicknamed 'Pony'. Throughout the story, the rascally lad attempts to escape from his family home.
Naturally curious but also mischievous, the young Pony feels oppressed by his overprotective mother. Desiring freedom and adventure, he dreams of escaping his family life and school for good. Eventually, Pony gains the encouragement and assistance of his friends, who are amused by his predicament. The members of the group playfully pressure Pony into going through with his ambition, and take increasing interest in his attempts.
Throughout this whimsical story, Pony attempts to escape home with a passing company of Native Americans, a circus, and down the nearby river on a raft. We are left in suspense; each time, it appears that Pony is going to succeed in absconding the town only for him to be thwarted by sheer happenstance.
Written around the turn of the 20th century, The Flight of Pony Baker is brimming with the frontier spirit and independence that characterized the United States at the time. Drawing on incidents from his own childhood, the author attempts to reflect life in small town America of the era, where the great outdoors formed a large part of life for children.
