Traveling Westward Resources: Discussion Questions

Dear Levi: Letters From the Overland Trail, By Elvira Woodruff

Book Description for Dear Levi
Discussion Questions for Dear Levi

Book Description:

Travel the Oregon Trail with a young boy named Levi, through the letters he writes home to his younger brother! Learn about the very real fears, hardships and dangers he would have faced, and the excitement and wonder of traveling into unknown frontiers!

Dear Levi: Letters From the Overland Trail is the story of a twelve year-old boy traveling from Pennsylvania to Oregon in 1851, with cousins of the woman who has cared for them since their parents death. The story is told through the letters he writes to his younger brother, saved between settlements until they can be posted, who has remained in Pennsylvania while Levi goes out to Oregon to take over the land that their father had staked a claim to before he died. Levi shows a great pride in the work he is able to do to aid the family he travels with, helping to care for and drive the oxen, helping with the stock, gathering wood, fetching water, and learning to repair broken parts on the wagon. He also shows remarkable independence, strength, and spirit. The story deals with the very real fears, dangers, and hardships that a young boy traveling the Oregon Trail might have experienced, including the loss of members of his adoptive family. It also succeeds in conveying the ultimate sense of excitement and wonder that Levi feels traveling into unknown frontiers. There is a feeling of triumph when Levi actually manages to reach Oregon and find his father's claim. A great introduction to what life was like on the Oregon Trail!

1) Why has Levi decided to travel out to Oregon with Mr. Morrison and his family? What does Levi hope to find when he reaches Oregon?

2) How did the death of his father influence Levi's decision to go to Oregon? How is his father's presence felt in the story, and how has his death affected Levi?

3) Why do you think Levi left his younger brother behind in Pennsylvania?

4) One of Levi's friends, Frank Hickman, is often hit, beaten, and yelled at by his father. Do you think that it was more acceptable to treat children in that way back in those days? What would you have done if you were Frank's friend, traveling with him on the wagon train?

5) One of the men who works on th wagon train, Reuben, has a fabulous coat covered with buttons that he has traded for with all of the people he has met on his travels. Each of the boys gets to trade buttons with Reuben. What things do you do to keep a record that helps you to remember all of the people you have met in your life?

6) The people in the wagon train have several disputes or disagreements over their attitudes toward the Native Americans. Mr. Hickman wants to 'shoot me an Injun' but Mr. Morrison "believes that all people are God's children" and have an equal right to live. Why do you think they have such different opinions and attitudes? How does Levi react to the prejudices he sees?

7) Mr. Hickman kills a Native American woman. He is not punished for his actions by the members of the wagon train. Why do you think this happened? Do you think that Mr. Hickman is to blame for the deaths of members of the wagon train who were killed by Native Americans shortly after this event?

8) After having journeyed across the country, facing many hardships but also experiencing the exhilarating thrill of traveling to new frontiers, Levi finally reaches Oregon and finds his father's land. What do you think life will be like for him in Oregon?