My Friend Bobby
Jimmy is a five-year-old boy living in the country with his mother and father; his father commutes to the city for work. Jimmy's closest companion is Bobby, a collie he treats as an equal and communicates with through silent "think-talk," which Bobby only partially understands. Jimmy also has a secret, imaginary, life-sized panda he calls Bobby, kept hidden in the barn. Jimmy's mother, Carol, is fearful and hostile toward him, punishing him often—sometimes for things he hasn't done—and forcing Bobby outdoors even in cold weather. Jimmy senses that his mother is angry with him even when she hides it, and that she dislikes him and doesn't want to touch him. His father, Ben, is generally kind but distant, and unaware of the extent of Carol's fear. After Jimmy lets Bobby into the house without permission, Carol hits Bobby with a broom and threatens to spank Jimmy. Jimmy hides in a closet, bites his mother's hand when she drags him out, and locks himself in the bathroom for the day. That night Ben coaxes him out and tells him to behave, but overhears Carol tell Ben that Jimmy seems to know her thoughts before she acts on them and that something is "horribly wrong" with him. She also says the dog behaves as if it understands Jimmy. Ben dismisses her fears, attributing Jimmy's oddities to slow physical development, but agrees to have Doctor Grant examine him again. Doctor Grant examines Jimmy, notes his skull hasn't closed properly and his hair growth is slow, but finds nothing else abnormal and gives Carol sleeping pills, treating her fears as exhaustion. Afterward Carol is outwardly kinder but remains privately afraid, and Jimmy senses she still doesn't trust him. One snowy day, Jimmy and Bobby are playing with the panda in the barn when Carol nearly discovers it hidden in the hay; the panda sneezes and Jimmy laughs, provoking Carol's suspicion. She yanks his ear, and Bobby snarls and snaps at her, frightening her. Jimmy, hurt and angry, threatens her verbally. At lunch, Jimmy perceives through think-talk that Carol has poisoned Bobby's food, intending to kill the dog; he warns Bobby not to eat it and throws the dish at his mother when she insists. Carol panics, calls Jimmy a "monster," and phones for help. Ben rushes home, confronts Jimmy behind a locked door, and breaks in with a belt, intent on punishing him. Jimmy calls on Bobby for protection; Bobby attacks Ben, biting his wrist. In the struggle, Ben suddenly perceives Jimmy's think-talk directly—hearing him urge Bobby to attack—and reacts with horror, calling Jimmy "evil and monstrous." Ben throws Bobby off and barricades Jimmy in the room. Ben and Carol then flee the house together in the car, abandoning Jimmy. Left alone with Bobby and the panda as snow falls and the house grows cold, Jimmy expresses relief that his parents are gone, trusting that Bobby will care for him. The narrative ends with Jimmy alone in the darkening, cooling house, growing hungry, intending to have Bobby tend the fire and get him supper, with no adult present.
By Alan Edward Nourse · First published 1967 · Genre: Science Fiction, Juvenile Fiction, Coming of Age · 5,220 words
First lines
My name is Jimmy and I am five years old, and my friend Bobby is five years old too but he says he thinks he's really more than five years old because he's already grown up and I'm just a little boy. We live out in the country because that's where mommy and daddy live, and every morning daddy takes the car out of the barn and rides into the city to work, and every night he comes back to eat supper and to see mommy and Bobby and me. One time I asked daddy why we don't live in the city like some people do and he laughed and said you wouldn't really want to live in the city would you? After all he said you couldn't have Bobby in the city, so I guess it's better to live in the country after all.
What this Textopian page supports
My Friend Bobby is listed on Textopian as a short story by Alan Edward Nourse, dated 1967 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Alan Edward Nourse
- Date: 1967 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Science Fiction, Juvenile Fiction, Coming of Age
- Length: 5,220 words
- Structure: 1 section, 39 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for My Friend Bobby by Alan Edward Nourse
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering My Friend Bobby?
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- Where does Science Fiction first become important in the reading?
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Genres
- Science Fiction — The story revolves around the human friendship with a robot, drawing upon themes of artificial intelligence and robotics which falls under science fiction.
- Juvenile Fiction — The main characters are adolescents and the plot involves school life, technology, and friendship, which makes it relevant to juvenile fiction.
- Coming of Age — It depicts the growth of the main character as he bonds with the robot and navigates through life, hence it's related to coming of age.
Tags
angry · bad · big · bobby · boy · boys · come · daddy · day · doctor · dog · dogs