John Hoel is Jørgen and Vi’s oldest son. As a child, he accidentally kills one of their chestnut saplings when he strips off its leaves to use as play money. As an adult, John becomes obsessed with technology and progress, and it is he who buys the Kodak Brownie camera and begins the project of photographing the Hoel chestnut every month. John dies in his bed at age 56.
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John Hoel Character Timeline in The Overstory
The timeline below shows where the character John Hoel appears in The Overstory. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1: Roots—Nicholas Hoel
...killed in the winter of 1862, and one is accidentally killed by the oldest son John, who strips off its leaves to use as play money. Jørgen beats the boy when...
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Decades pass, and many of the Hoel children marry and move away from home. John remains to work the farm, buying a new tractor and becoming enthralled with “speed, progress,...
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...tree becomes a “sentinel tree,” a landmark that others use to navigate in the prairie. John Hoel keeps buying new machines, and he soon purchases a Kodak No. 2 Brownie camera....
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Back in Iowa, the Hoels haven’t heard of the chestnut disaster. John continues photographing his chestnut tree every month until his sudden death at age 56. His...
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