Chapters 1-3 Summary

Bobby, a boy growing up in the 1920's, talks about his experiences with the Old Man,his grandfather. The Old Man shares the experiences of being a man with Bobby, while lecturing him on subjects from gun safety to ancient Greek history. The boy is overjoyed as the Old Man teaches him how to hunt quail, turtle eggs, and ducks.

Bobby spends the summers and holidays at his grandparents house in rural South Carolina. The boy is so interested in the lessons that he learns from the Old Man, that he rarely mentions other family members. When Bobby is eight years old, the Old Man gives him a gun, a little 20-gauge that the boy is intensely proud of. The Old Man tells Bobby that he must practice gun safety because Bobby's mother does not think he is old enough to...