1. The Travelin' Man Study Guide
Contemporary Lit.
Mrs. Prange
6/5/2018
Travelin' Man

2. Summary Slide Short Story Elements Vocabulary Study Questions 6/5/2018
Travelin' Man

3. Short Story Elements Setting: Characters: Theme:
Tennessee Hills, Future
Characters:
Childy – had too much love; provider
Ralph – father; struggling with responsibility
The Travelin’ Man – broke the law – now must be cruel to others to stay out of jail
Theme:
The power of love can force us to make difficult decisions
6/5/2018
Travelin' Man

4. Vocabulary
Tads
Children
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Travelin' Man

5. Questions Where does the story take place?
In the Tennessee Hills
How many children do the Covingtons have? 8
Describe Childy (at least 3 characteristics).
Not beautiful
Not smart
Had a way with seeds
What was wrong with the Covingtons having children?
They were not supposed to have any for another 3 years
What company did the man say he represented?
The Halleluiah Bible Company
What was the deal offered to Childy?
Pay $1.00 a month for 36 months
Why didn’t Ralph like the idea?
The Travelin’ Man would be there every month and he could be a government spy who would find out they had illegal children
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Travelin' Man

6. Questions What was the first indication something was wrong?
He was drunk when he arrived
Why couldn’t Childy give the bible back?
She had written the children's names in the book already
Who does the travelin’ man turn out to be?
A government man – a population inspector
What happens to unregistered children (be specific).
They are given an injection of an incurable disease and then cryogenically frozen
How did Childy get away from the P.I.?
She led him down into Horse Hollow where he stepped into an animal trap they had set
Why was the travelin’ man a P.I.?
He and his wife had an legal baby but it died. They bought a baby on the black market and were caught. He now has to work as a P.I. to avoid punishment
Is the P.I. a villain or a victim in this society? Explain.
6/5/2018
Travelin' Man