Two Cats and an Attachment

The Summer Book

This subplot follows Sophia's difficult discovery that affection cannot make Moppy behave like a tame companion.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

The Kitten Arrives The Kitten Arrives from "The Summer Book". The Kitten Arrives A hoped-for companion The family feeds the kitten with Sophia's old bottle and gives it a warm place to sleep.

The Kitten Arrives from "The Summer Book". The Kitten Arrives A hoped-for companion The family feeds the kitten with Sophia's old bottle and gives it a warm place to sleep.

The Kitten Arrives A hoped-for companion The family feeds the kitten with Sophia's old bottle and gives it a warm place to sleep. Sophia treats the animal as someone who should naturally return her affection. Independence begins early Moppy prefers the dish box and retreats from embraces. The gap between Sophia's expectations and the cat's temperament appears almost immediately.

Love Without Return Love Without Return from "The Summer Book". Love Without Return Pursuit and retreat Sophia repeatedly carries Moppy to pleasant places and confides in him.

Love Without Return from "The Summer Book". Love Without Return Pursuit and retreat Sophia repeatedly carries Moppy to pleasant places and confides in him.

Love Without Return Pursuit and retreat Sophia repeatedly carries Moppy to pleasant places and confides in him. He tolerates attention, then returns to solitude and sleep. A painful insight Sophia says that greater love seems to bring less affection back. Grandmother recognizes the truth in the observation but has no easy answer for it.

The First Dead Bird The First Dead Bird from "The Summer Book". The First Dead Bird Instinct causes distress Moppy brings a bird to the house, and Sophia is horrified by the blood.

The First Dead Bird from "The Summer Book". The First Dead Bird Instinct causes distress Moppy brings a bird to the house, and Sophia is horrified by the blood.

The First Dead Bird Instinct causes distress Moppy brings a bird to the house, and Sophia is horrified by the blood. She cannot accept Grandmother's explanation that a cat does not make Sophia's moral distinction between birds and rats. Silence becomes punishment Sophia stops speaking to Moppy, though the daily evidence of his hunting keeps the conflict present. Her refusal intensifies her own hurt as well as her anger.

A Substitute Cat A Substitute Cat from "The Summer Book". A Substitute Cat An easy affection Sophia welcomes a large, gentle white cat who purrs and sleeps in her arms.

A Substitute Cat from "The Summer Book". A Substitute Cat An easy affection Sophia welcomes a large, gentle white cat who purrs and sleeps in her arms.

A Substitute Cat An easy affection Sophia welcomes a large, gentle white cat who purrs and sleeps in her arms. The contrast with Moppy makes affection seem uncomplicated for a while. The wrong fit She tries to assign Moppy's familiar place to the new cat, but the substitution cannot reproduce the bond she actually wants. The calm weather begins to feel dull.

Moppy Comes Back Moppy Comes Back from "The Summer Book". Moppy Comes Back Recognition in anger Sophia tries to make the tame cat respond to a storm as Moppy would, then angrily throws it outside.

Moppy Comes Back from "The Summer Book". Moppy Comes Back Recognition in anger Sophia tries to make the tame cat respond to a storm as Moppy would, then angrily throws it outside.

Moppy Comes Back Recognition in anger Sophia tries to make the tame cat respond to a storm as Moppy would, then angrily throws it outside. Her reaction reveals that she misses the particular cat, not simply a pet. Affection accepts difference She asks for Moppy despite knowing that life with him will be difficult. The exchange restores a relationship whose limits she now understands better.

early summer, when the kitten is still very small

the first weeks after Moppy moves into the house

early summer, after Moppy begins hunting

mid-summer, after the Övergårds visit

after a storm begins following the calm spell