THE RIFLE by Gary Paulsen. 1995, Harcourt Brace and Co., 192 pages, Reviewed from Advance Reading Copy.
The controversy surrounding gun control is a constant debate. The American consciousness is heightened by the Brady law, youngsters finding guns and playing with them in the home, bombings of community buildings and publicity over militia groups.
Organizations such as the National Rifle Association and sporting groups plead for other options besides "control." The notion is that: "Guns don't kill people, people kill people."
Paulsen's thoughtful novel for young adults addresses this cliche with dead aim. Scheduled to be released in the fall, "The Rifle" will reach the reading public just as the "hunting season" approaches in our western areas and could cause some interesting discussions in homes and classrooms.
In 1768, Cornish McManus, a gunsmith, lovingly builds a rifle that is considered "sweet," a priceless one-of-a-kind. "It was said that a bad gunsmith could never make a sweet rifle but that even a great smith might make only one in his life."
While McManus treasures this beauty, he is required to sell it to provide for a new wife. John Byam, the new owner, is an unsettled man given to running the ridges and country of the West, who makes the rifle an extension of himself as he fights for America's independence.
When Byam dies, a middle-aged woman takes the masterfully crafted rifle and hides it between timbers in her attic. There it rests forgotten for many years until in 1993 it is discovered by Tim, who deals in antiques. He trades it to Harv, whose wife "didn't think much of it even when told that Tim had said it was a Revolutionary War weapon."
There it hangs over the mantle and that could have been the end of the story except for the fact that this old rifle that so many people had held, touched, coveted and shot with, had never been checked to see if it was loaded.
The rifle was loaded. Not with a cartridge that could be checked quickly like modern rifles, but with powder poured down the bore and the ball set on top of it. Added to this fact is the reality of the black powder, which is extremely explosive and ignites when exposed to flame or heat.
The Christmas celebration in Harv's house was in full swing when sparks from the fireplace swung inward over the mantle. One spark . . . "no bigger than half the head of a pin" slid into the touchhole and rested on the black powder of the rifle. The ball that had been resting for more than 200 years came under pressure, left the bore, traveled at a speed of just over 1,200 feet per second and in less than one and one-half seconds killed the child, Richard.
Again, that could end the story, but the author took it one step further. Harv, who blamed himself for the accident, threw the rifle in the river and mud to disappear forever. A fisherman named Tilson snagged the rifle, recognized the gun from the newspaper accounts of Richard's death and refurbished it. "He thought and believed . . . as millions believe, that guns didn't kill people, people kill people and he took the rifle home . . . put it in his walnut-veneer gun case to keep, suspecting it was valuable and a collector's item."
The novel concludes with the irony that Tilson is seriously considering getting some black powder and balls and loading the rifle again.
Paulsen's use of the rifle as the main protagonist states a chilling philosophy that they can be instruments of destruction. The novel never takes a maudlin or sensationalized tone to further this philosophy but tells it in a narrative that will appeal to young readers (actually, readers of all ages).
Interspersed with the chronicle of the rifle are facts about explosives, the history of riflemaking and the weapons' value through time. The human touch of each man's ownership is sensitive and meaningful; for example, McManus' loving care in the initial building of the gun is a tender account of a master at work.
Paulsen's writings on the outdoors (he ran the Iditarod on several occasions) reflect his interest and knowledge of the environment. While he lived on "the hunt" for some years in his life, he noted caution and disdain for overkilling and random sport with guns.
He is a three-time Newbery Medal winner and lives in New Mexico with his painter wife, Ruth Wright Paulsen. Other of his popular books for children and young adults are, "Hatchet," "The River," "Dogsong," "Woodsong," "The Tent," "Tracker" and "Harris and Me: A Summer Remembered."