Plot summary
The Crazy Man is set in 1965 in Saskatchewan, Canada. Porter reinforces the harsh times by incorporating day-to-day life during the Vietnam War, Communism, and the Cold War. Financial times are tough.
The novel begins by introducing the protagonist Emaline, a twelve-year-old girl who loves playing with friends and going to school. She lives on a farm, when she is involved in a tractor accident. While trying to save her dog, Prince, from being run over by the tractor her father is driving, her leg is caught in the machine, and she is left disabled. Grief-stricken, Emaline's father, Cal, shoots Prince, then leaves everything behind: the family farm, his family, his crippled child, and all his responsibilities. He blames himself for Emaline's injuries, but he also blames the dog for precipitating the accident.
Emaline cannot understand why her father would do this to her and her mother. She wonders why her father left and when her father would come back: "I think about dad. How in the world could someone just disappear?" [2] She blames herself, and her guilt consumes her thoughts.
With Cal gone, Emaline's mother, Clarice, has to find someone else to seed the fields for them, as farming is the family's only source of income. She ends up hiring a big man called Angus, a former mental patient from the mental hospital. This infuriates the town, as they assume that this man will harm and terrorize them.
Emaline's mom tells her, "That man is from the mental, stay away from him." [2]
The townspeople purposely drive by Emaline's house to tease and laugh at the "Crazy Man" working in the farm fields. Frank, the town mechanic, drives by daily and yells, "I hear you have a sub-human out there", and others call Angus the "Gorilla." [2]
What the townspeople do not realize is that Angus is a gentle and caring individual who would not hurt anyone or anything. [3] He is a good farmer and great gardener. He treats everything he touches with respect. However, the townspeople can not see past his mental illness, and on many occasions they accuse him of stealing from the local grocery store, later to find out that all accusations are false.
After Harry Record (Joey Record's father) drives Angus to the other end of town in attempt to make him suffer in a snowstorm, Angus comes across Joey freezing in the snow on his way back to the town. Despite the mistreatment Angus has experienced, he takes Joey to the hospital to save his life. After the townspeople hear what Angus has done, they realize that Angus is not only like everyone else, but is actually a brave and compassionate individual.
The novel ends with the farm's fields growing beautifully, the best they have ever grown, and Emaline, Clarice, and Angus happily dancing under the Northern Lights without Cal, enjoying life as they once had before the tractor accident. [2]
The main message of the novel is to treat every individual with respect, regardless of their background or appearance.
