Crispin By Avi: Summary

Crispin a story written by Avi has one main character, Crispin, who lives as a peasant in the small village of Stromford. He never meet his father and his mother died so the only thing he had left from them was a cross of lead. Crispin was declared a wolf’s head so he had no choice but to run away. While fleeing he found a man who called himself Bear. Bear made Crispin question all life and what he had been taught. Throughout Crispins journey he changed in ways that were not even thinkable for him at the beginning. He started as a boy who was timid and afraid who became a strong independent man.

In the beginning, Crispin would be know as a small boy with small life. He was terrified of John Aycliffe their village steward and Crispin knew that

he could never look upon him. “‘Asta’s son, come here,’ he said to me. Head bowed, I drew close. ‘Look at me,’ he commanded…”(3). Crispin, being a peasant, knew he could not look up at Aycliffe for Crispin felt he was not worthy to look up at someone with such power like him. Crispin knew that John Aycliffe could send him away, kill him, or send out a rumor that could kill him. “O Great and Giving Jesus, I, who have no name, who am nothing, who does not know what to do, who is alone in Thy world, I implore Thy blessed help, or I’m undone” (21). Crispin begs God for his help because he knows that he could not journey alone without the help God. The start of the book helped Crispin start his journey and let him know what he had to do.

Towards the middle of the story, Crispin meet Bear, a friendly but slightly mad man. Bear showed him what it was like outside of his small town and told Crispin all of his beliefs, like every man should be a master of themselves. “‘And don’t call me sir,’ he snarled. ‘Why?’ ‘It’s servile.’ ‘But you’re my master.”(94). Although Crispin was given the chance of speaking for himself he found it weird and unnatural to do something that he was never allowed to do in his village. “To my surprise there was a relief in speaking. How strange it was to have someone to listen to me”(107). As Crispin slowly got used to expressing his ideas he told Bear stories about himself and found it very strange. Bear’s ideas vexed Crispin in many ways that started to change him into making his own decisions.

Finally, Crispin continued to progress mentally and physically. Bear challenged Crispin to think for himself and make his own decisions. Crispin learned what big city life was like and how it was nothing like in his village. “These ways twisted and turned in every conceivable direction, with no logic that I could grasp. Yet I found myself excited not to know where I was going. How marvelously odd, I thought, to be required to pick and choose which way to go”(183). Crispin found that going in his own path was different and unusual but he learned to love the concept of doing what he wants to do. "What's more, I knew that feeling to be my newfound soul, a soul that lived in freedom. And my name- I knew with all my heart- was Crispin" (197). At the beginning of the story Father Quinel told Asta's son that his true name was Crispin but he was not willing to accept it. Now he accepts his name and knows that Crispin is his name. Crispin was ready to continue on with his life with Bear, the person he truly loved and trusted.