Prologue Summary

The prologue paints a picture of a dysfunctional family living on Melrose Island off the coast of South Carolina. The time is the 1950s, and the picture of family conflict is painted in the contrast between the characters and personalities of a mother who is a beautiful dreamer and a father who is a rough-hewn and strict disciplinarian. Tom Wingo, whose tale this story is, describes his mother as a woman who shows her children wonders of nature and makes up stories about the dreams of all living things, plants and animals.

Tom's father, on the other hand, is seen as somewhat cold and not understanding of a child's unenlightened mistakes. Tom recalls a time during his tenth year. He kills a bald eagle. His father who "did not permit crimes against nature," (Page 2) does not sit down and reason with his son...