The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury Literature Review

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"It was a small town by a small river and a small lake in a small northern part of a Midwest state." This is how Ray Bradbury illustrates a picture that no other book will ever present to you as he begins the story of The Halloween Tree. Ray Bradbury takes the reader on a crazy adventure to find a dear friend named Pipkin and to find what Halloween is really about. The reader will travel from Egypt to France to Mexico learning about the importance of death in the pyramids, the gargoyles at the Notre Dame, and even El Dia De Los Muertos at a cemetery.

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Tom Skelton is the main character in the story and he such an amazing personality. He is ready for anything just so he can get Pipkin back. Ray Bradbury illustrates the theme through the actions of the eight boys especially Tom Skelton

In The Halloween Tree, eight boys begin their scary Halloween night going trick-or-treating.

Or so they thought. They soon realize that Pipkin is missing. After finding Pipkin, he instructs the boys to meet him at the haunted house outside of town. The eight boys meet Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud (or Mr. Moundshroud) before the mysterious adventure begins to search for Pipkin and the unknown meaning of Halloween.

The main character Tom Skelton goes through his entire Halloween night searching for Pipkin which makes him dependable, dedicated, and very unselfish. Tom is dependable because he spent his entire Halloween night going to different countries to find Pipkin.

In other words, Pipkin can depend on Tom to help him out when he is in trouble. Next, the author portrays Tom as dedicated because he states "One year each of you promises to give. You won't miss it now, of course, for you are very young" (pg. 130) This quote clarifies why Tom is dedicated because, even though Mr. Moundshround is telling Tom that it's one year of his life taken away that he can never get back, he does not care because he wants his best friend to live. Lastly, Tom is unselfish. The author makes him seem unselfish because in The Halloween Tree they went to Pipkin's house to make sure Pipkin is okay instead of focusing on his own well being after the hectic night that he just had. This shows that Tom is unselfish because he put Pipkin before his own well being.

The eight boys illustrate the theme that a true friend will always be there for you. The author portrays that theme because in the book Mr. Moundshroud tells the boys that in order for Pipkin to give a year. "Me," said Tom "I'll give a year." "And me," said Ralph. "I'm in," said Henry-Hank. And, "Me!" "Me!" "Me!" said all the rest (pg. 131). In the end every one of them said yes to giving a year of their life for Pipkin. That clearly shows that they will always be there for Pipkin because they knew what would have happened if they didn't give that year for him. Also, after the boys went to all these different countries finding the unknown history of Halloween, and to find their best friend, they still went to Pipkins house to figure out if he was okay. They didn't leave any time for resting. That shows that each one of those boys will put their friends before themselves.

In the end, the story reminds me of the relationship I have with my older sister, Madison. Maddy and I would sacrifice anything for each other. We have a very close relationship with each other and I could tell her anything. This relates to the story because, the eight boys, especially Tom, have a special connection with Pipkin and they were willing to go through anything for him. That was one of my favorite things about the story. The fact that they were willing to Europe, and Paris and even Mexico just to find Pipkin, is mind-blowing. This clearly shows that the eight boys put Pipkin's safety and well being ahead of their own.