Novel Dear Mr. Kilmer - Animated Synopsis
The story is about Richard Knight, a farm boy who is passionate about writing poems. He cannot relate well with his brother who appears very interested in hunting animals and sports. He finds himself unable to kill animals as he finds them beautiful. His father understands his pain but tells him that death is a part of life. In school Richard gets a chance to listen to a poem by Joyce Kilmer and is impressed by the thoughts expressed in it. With the support of his teacher, he begins a correspondence with Kilmer and also mentions that he writes poems. This starts a beautiful relationship between Kilmer and Richard.
Kilmer joins the army to fight the enemy. Richard worries about the war as it affects the way people treat foreigners in his own town. A student, Hannah, is shunned by the classmates because of her German background. Richard stands up to support her and is ostracised too. Richard and Hannah become good friends. Some of the townspeople also rally around when they realise that Hannah’s family is patriotic to the country they live in.
Kilmer gets killed in the war. It is most heartbreaking for Richard who is shattered by the news. He writes a beautiful poem about the pain of losing a friend and it appears in the local paper. Richard is most pleasantly surprised and comforted when his father tells him that the poem expresses well the pain he felt when he lost his brother in another war. There is mutual understanding as father and son talk over things that had not been mentioned before. The war too comes to an end and Richard hopes that anti-German sentiments would also fade.
Richard is sensitive and gentle; someone who wishes that society will treat everyone in a just and humane manner. Reality, unfortunately is a different matter.
