Essay Questions

What is the symbolic denotation of the character, Coyote?

The author of 'Summerland' draws some of the arguments from the biblical story of creation. In the Garden of Eden, the serpent is not happy with God's products, and it wants to destroy them using Eve, who accepts to eat the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Life. After Eve's wrong action, which goes against the creator, human life is destroyed and subjected to hard labor. Cayote, as a character, represents Satan, who wants to destroy the Tree of Life that shelters the whole world. However, Ethan and his friends are traveling across the globe to stop Satan from his destructive plans. Ethan and his friends emblematically represent the soldiers of Christ, such as religious leaders who are campaigning against Satan in the whole world to ensure the intended destruction does not take place.

What is the beauty of sport, according to the author?

The book commences by introducing the protagonist, Ethan, and his father heading to Summerland. While at the Summerland, Ethan's father does everything to teach him how to play baseball, but he finds it hard because of his poor performance. However, the author uses the 'baseball' metaphorically to mean life skills that enable Ethan to stop the destruction of the Tree of Life by Satan (Cayote). Ethan's skills from Baseball training become handy when he faces Cayote, defeating him terribly. Therefore, the author portrays baseball as a stunning sport that, besides being entertainment, it provides life-saving skills.

How does the author illustrate that even heroes need people around them to shine?

After reading 'Summerland,' the reader apprehends that no man is an island. Ethan is portrayed as the main hero in this narration, but his success is dependent on his close friends, Jennifer, Thor, and Cutbelly. The common enemy is Cayote, who is satanic and wants to destroy the Tree of Life. Together with his friends, Ethan can curse Cayote and defeats his intentions to destroy the world. Ethan travels the whole world with his best friends to prevent Cayote from his evil plans. Consequently, even the superheroes and heroines need the support of like-minded people for them to execute their mandate.