Down the River; Or, Buck Bradford and His Tyrants by Oliver Optic

"Down the River; Or, Buck Bradford and His Tyrants" by Oliver Optic is a novel written in the late 19th century. The story centers around Buck Bradford, a young boy who faces ongoing cruelty and tyrannical treatment from those around him, particularly the Fishley family, as he struggles to protect his deformed sister Flora and assert his own dignity. The book explores themes of self-reliance, morality, and the quest for freedom from oppression. At the start of the novel, we are introduced to Buck and his harsh circumstances living with the Fishley family, where he endures mistreatment from Ham Fishley, the son, and his parents. The opening chapter showcases Buck’s decision to stand up against Ham when ordered to perform menial tasks, flipping the dynamic of their oppressive relationship. Buck's internal conflict is highlighted as he tries to reconcile his desire for respect with his duty to care for Flora. A pivotal moment occurs when he defends her from the harsh treatment of Mrs. Fishley, escalating tensions that hint at further confrontations and challenges ahead for Buck as he navigates his precarious position in a world filled with tyrants. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

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About this eBook

Author Optic, Oliver, 1822-1897
Title Down the River; Or, Buck Bradford and His Tyrants
Credits Produced by David Edwards, Barbara Kosker, Irma Spehar and
the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from scans of
public domain material produced by Microsoft for their
Live Search Books site.)
Reading Level Reading ease score: 81.2 (6th grade). Easy to read.
Language English
LoC Class PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres
Subject Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction
Subject Children -- Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction
Subject Siblings -- Juvenile fiction
Subject Children with disabilities -- Juvenile fiction
Subject Mississippi River -- Juvenile fiction
Subject Cruelty -- Juvenile fiction
Category Text
eBook-No. 24283
Release Date
Last Update Jan 3, 2021
Copyright Public domain in the USA.
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