"Island Of The Blue Dolphins" Excerpt Summary

 In “Island Of The Blue Dolphins”, Karana has to decide what to do with the wounded dog that killed her brother. At the beginning, Karana finds the wounded dog laying half dead on the floor. She is conflicted because she hates it, but not enough to kill it. After some time, she takes the dog to her house, and provides it with food and water. She also treats the dog’s wounds with a stick from a coral bush. Over a few days, Karana and the dog start building trust for each other. They are able to get closer but not too close as they still are a little suspicious of each other. Eventually, Karana comes home from the mainland and thinks that he will be gone. This is when she realizes her positive feelings toward the dog which have just sprouted. When Karana enters her house, she finds the dog all happy, wagging it’s tail and stretching. In the end, Karana finally decides on a name for the dog (Rontu), making it her new pet.