The end of Toby Tyler

Toby Tyler, by James Otis describes the adventures of a young boy who ran away from home to join the circus. What is a simple story of “The grass is always greener on the other side” can be dissected further through analyzing symbolism throughout the novel. For example, Toby’s pet monkey, whom he befriended at the beginning of his journey, symbolizes naivety or immaturity. During Toby’s first day at the circus, he latched on to this monkey (named Mr. Stubbs) that he was sure could understand every word he said, for what he needed the most at the time was a friend—this proves Toby’s initial naivety and simple outlook. However, at the end of the book, when Toby runs away from the circus, with a new perspective on life, Mr. Stubbs is shot, representing the end to Toby’s naivety and immaturity. One thing I never completely understood about the novel was why Toby ran away in the first place. At the start of the book, he described there being little to eat, and that he was not treated very nicely by his guardian. However, at the end, Toby is thrown into his guardian’s arms who expresses his love for Toby in an affectionate manor. But then, it is referenced that Toby’s friends predict that his guardian will whip Toby every day because he ran away. James Otis seems to jump around about Toby’s guardian’s personality, but possibly it is to demonstrate the imagination and exaggeration of Toby. Toby Tyler was a fun book to read, but, because of simplicity, it gave the reader an opportunity to examine and scrutinize the book more carefully.