Teaching Companion · Chapter 13 · The Adventures of Pinocchio

This chapter's big question

Pinocchio answers the ghost of the Cricket four times with “I want to go on.” Is he being stubborn, or does he trust that his friends and the gold are waiting?

The tension The Cricket gives plain reasons to turn back, while Pinocchio holds to a promise of riches he cannot see and to friends who have already gone ahead.

Today's focus

Notice what Pinocchio says every time the Cricket gives him a reason to turn back.

Two core ideas

Plain reasons can be met with plain wanting: the Cricket says the hour is late, the night is dark and the road is dangerous, and Pinocchio says I want to go on.
The author lets the reader see more than Pinocchio notices: the Innkeeper winks, and the Cat and the Fox have gone.

The shape at a glance

Pinocchio, the Fox and the Cat walk until evening and stop at the Inn of the Red Lobster. The Fox and the Cat eat huge suppers while Pinocchio hardly eats and dreams of a field of gold coins. At midnight the Innkeeper says his friends left two hours ago, and Pinocchio pays for the suppers and goes on alone. In the dark, the ghost of the Talking Cricket begs him to go home, and he answers I want to go on. The Cricket's light goes out.

A way in

Start with the walk in the dark: ask what the Cricket says, and what Pinocchio says back.

Lesson plan

Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: the walk, the inn, the suppers, the dream, the Innkeeper, the payment, the dark road, and the Cricket.

Imitate the author After copying the passage, the student writes two sentences in the same pattern: a short one about something still, then a longer one about something that moved.

Debate Take sides on the big question: is Pinocchio stubborn, or does he trust that his friends and the gold are waiting? Each side uses one quote from the chapter.

Purpose Close by asking why a story might give Pinocchio the same answer four times.

Easier Read the Cricket scene aloud together in two voices and talk through discussion questions 3 and 4 only.

On level Talk through all five discussion questions, then have the student give one critical-thinking answer aloud with two things from the chapter.

Harder Ask the student what the Cricket could have said that might have made Pinocchio stop, and what in the chapter makes them think so.

Discussion

The Innkeeper winks “in a knowing way” at the Fox and the Cat. What do you think the wink means? What makes you think so?Inference
What it asks It asks what a wink can tell us, and how much the chapter lets us know about what the Innkeeper understands.
One reading

The Innkeeper shares an understanding with the Fox and the Cat that Pinocchio does not.
- winking in a knowing way at the Fox and the Cat
Another reading

It is only a friendly sign that he will do what they ask, and call them at midnight.
- Remember to call us at midnight sharp
- answered the Innkeeper
Listen for
- Uses the words about the wink, not only a guess.
- Notices that the chapter does not say what he understands.
If stuck
- What does the Fox ask the Innkeeper to do?
- Who does the Innkeeper wink at?
- Does the chapter say what he understands?
A strong answer The Innkeeper winks in a knowing way at the Fox and the Cat, not at Pinocchio, so the wink is for the two of them. It could mean he understands something Pinocchio does not. It could also mean he will do as asked. A strong answer says what the wink might mean, and admits the chapter does not tell us what the Innkeeper understands.
The Cat eats thirty-five mullets, and the author says the Fox “tried his best to eat a little.” Is the author being funny? What makes you think so?Tone
What it asks It asks how the author wants us to take the huge suppers, and what the pile of food and the small words say about the pair.
One reading

It is funny: the author says not one of them was very hungry, and then the amounts of food are huge.
- not one of them was very hungry
- he was able to eat only thirty-five mullets with tomato sauce
Another reading

It is more than a joke: the Fox says he is ill and cannot eat another bite after a huge meal, and that does not sound like the plain truth.
- The Fox, after a great deal of coaxing, tried his best to eat a little.
- He felt ill, he said, and could not eat another bite.
Listen for
- Points to a number or a list of food.
- Notices the small words such as only and a little.
If stuck
- How many mullets does the Cat eat, and what does the author call it?
- What does the author say about the Fox's diet, and what does he order after the hare?
- How much does Pinocchio eat?
A strong answer The Cat eats thirty-five mullets, and the author says he was able to eat only that many, while the Fox eats a hare, then orders partridges, pheasants, rabbits and more, and says he could not eat another bite. The amounts and the small words make the scene funny. They may also show a gap between feeling weak or ill and eating so much. A strong answer says what the author seems to be doing, and uses one number or list as proof.
The Fox and the Cat leave without paying, and Pinocchio pays a gold piece for all three suppers. Is that fair? What makes you think so?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks who should pay when two ate the most and left, and whether Pinocchio's way of taking it is kind or careless.
One reading

It is not fair: Pinocchio ate least of all, and the other two ate the most and left.
- Pinocchio ate least of all.
- Pinocchio paid a gold piece for the three suppers
Another reading

It is fair enough to him: he pays without argument, and only says he wishes they had paid.
- they did not want to offend you so deeply as not to allow you the honor of paying the bill
- That offense would have been more than pleasing to me
Listen for
- Names who ate what, and who paid.
- Gives a reason for fair or unfair from the words in the chapter.
If stuck
- Who ate the most, and who ate the least?
- Who paid, and how much?
- What does the Innkeeper say about why they did not pay?
A strong answer Pinocchio ate least of all, a bite of bread and a few nuts, and he still pays a gold piece for all three suppers. The Innkeeper says the other two did not want to offend him by not letting him have the honor of paying, and Pinocchio says "Too bad!" and that the offense would have been more than pleasing to him, so he wishes they had paid. A strong answer weighs who ate what against how Pinocchio feels about it, and says whether fair fits.
Pinocchio first gives the Cricket a reason, then only says “I want to go on,” then calls it nonsense. What changes in him?Character
What it asks It asks how Pinocchio's way of answering changes as the Cricket keeps talking, and what that tells us about him.
One reading

He stops listening: the reasons are gone, and only wanting is left.
- But I want to go on!
- The same nonsense. Good-by, Cricket.
Another reading

He is still sure of his plan, and does not feel he needs to say it again.
- Tomorrow my father will be a rich man, for these four gold pieces will become two thousand.
- Good-by, Cricket.
Listen for
- Names the first answer and the last answer.
- Says what the change shows, with a reason.
If stuck
- What does Pinocchio say the first time the Cricket tells him to go home?
- What does he say each time after the Cricket's warnings?
- What does he call the Cricket's words at the end?
A strong answer Pinocchio's first answer has a reason in it: tomorrow his father will be rich. After that, no matter what the Cricket says, he only says I want to go on, and at the end he calls it the same nonsense. A strong answer can say he stops listening, or that he is still sure of his plan, and uses his words from the start and the end.
The Cricket's light goes out “just as if someone had snuffed it out,” and the road is dark again. Why might the author end the chapter that way?Author's choice
What it asks It asks what the dark ending does for the reader, and what it makes us feel about Pinocchio going on alone.
One reading

It leaves Pinocchio alone in the dark, which makes us worry for him.
- Once again the road was plunged in darkness.
- may Heaven preserve you from the Assassins
Another reading

It shows the last friendly voice gone, so the reader feels what he turned away.
- the light of the Talking Cricket disappeared suddenly
- just as if someone had snuffed it out
Listen for
- Points to words about the light or the dark.
- Says what the reader is left feeling.
If stuck
- What happens to the Cricket's light?
- What does the Cricket say as he says good night?
- What is the road like at the very end?
A strong answer The light of the Talking Cricket disappears suddenly and the road is plunged in darkness, right after the Cricket asks Heaven to preserve Pinocchio. That leaves Pinocchio alone and the reader uneasy. It also makes the last friendly voice go out. A strong answer says what the ending makes the reader feel, and points to the words that do it.

Critical thinking

Pinocchio dreams of vines heavy with gold coins. Using two things from the chapter, tell what the dream shows about what he wants.
What it asks It asks what the dream and the day around it show Pinocchio wants most, gold for himself or gold for his father.
One reading

He wants the gold itself: he reaches for a handful, and his mind is full of the field.
- Just as Pinocchio stretched out his hand to take a handful of them
- with his mind on the Field of Wonders, was suffering from a gold-piece indigestion
Another reading

He wants the gold for his father, as he says when he talks to the Cricket.
- Tomorrow my father will be a rich man
- for these four gold pieces will become two thousand
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- A reason that says what he wants most.
If stuck
- What does Pinocchio do in the dream just before he is awakened?
- What does the chapter say is on his mind at supper?
- Who does Pinocchio say will be rich?
A strong answer In the dream Pinocchio stretches out his hand for a handful of the gold coins, and at supper his mind is so full of the Field of Wonders that he can hardly eat. That shows he wants the gold. But he also tells the Cricket that tomorrow his father will be a rich man. A strong answer says what he wants most, using two things from the chapter.
Pinocchio asks the Innkeeper why his friends left, and whether they paid. Using two things from the chapter, tell what Pinocchio thinks of the Fox and the Cat.
What it asks It asks what Pinocchio's questions and answers show about how he sees the Fox and the Cat after they have gone.
One reading

He still thinks of them as good friends, and asks where they will wait.
- Where did my good friends say they would wait for me?
- Too bad! That offense would have been more than pleasing to me
Another reading

He is a little puzzled by how they left, and asks questions about it.
- Why in such a hurry?
- Did they pay for the supper?
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- A reason that says what Pinocchio thinks of them.
If stuck
- What does Pinocchio ask about the hurry?
- What does he ask about the supper?
- What does he call the Fox and the Cat when he asks where they will wait?
A strong answer Pinocchio asks why they left in such a hurry and whether they paid, so he is a little puzzled. But he still calls them his good friends and asks where they will wait, and says the offense would have been pleasing to him. A strong answer says what he thinks of them, using two things from the chapter.
Pinocchio walks on alone in the dark road. Using two things from the chapter, tell how he feels.
What it asks It asks the student to find how Pinocchio feels walking alone, and whether fear or hope is stronger.
One reading

He is afraid: the dark and the bats scare him, and he calls out.
- A few bats skimmed his nose now and again and scared him half to death.
- Once or twice he shouted, “Who goes there?”
Another reading

He is set on going: he keeps walking even though he cannot see.
- He walked on, not knowing where he was going
- started on his way toward the field that was to make him a rich man
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- A reason that says which feeling is stronger.
If stuck
- What do the bats do to him?
- What does he shout?
- What does he do even though it is dark?
A strong answer The bats scare him half to death and he shouts Who goes there, so he is afraid. But he keeps on walking toward the field that was to make him rich, even though he does not know where he is going. A strong answer says which feeling seems stronger, using two things from the chapter.