The novel "The Summer of the Monkeys" written by Wilson Rawls introduced me to a character who passed from being an egocentric poor boy to a generous and loving one. He comes from an extremely poor family that lived in northern Oklahoma on a farm called Cherokee land because it was in the middle of the Cherokee Nation. The boy is called Jay Berry and he dreamed only about getting a pony and a .22. He has a sister that was born with a crippled leg, when he collects the money to buy the pony and the gun he has a sudden change of mind and feelings and decides to helps his sister by giving up his money to his mom and dad to pay for an operation to fix his sister's leg. He passed from being an egocentric boy to a generous and loving boy.
             Throughout the novel the reader will be able to see how Jay Berry begins to change and become a better person. A common thought in his head was "I've been wanting a pony and a .22 ever since the day I was born. Every boy in the hills has a pony and a gun, but me. But things like that cost so much money, it doesn't look like I'll ever have them." (20.) Ever since his grandpa told him that the twenty-nine monkeys he found in the bottoms were from a circus and there was a big reward for them, he only thought about catching them, collecting the money, and buying his pony and .22. It is clear to the reader that Jay Berry can only think about selfish, superficial things in the beginning of the novel instead of his family's needs, such as the operation to his sister's leg.
             In chapter three he has a conversation with his sister who tells him that there is a man she sees almost everyday and who is called "The Old Man of the Mountains". He takes care of all the animals in the hills and makes sure no one will hurt any kind of animal in his presence. Daisy tells Jay Berry that if he continues to kill small animals the old man will cast a bad luck...