In the chapter entitled October, Holling Hoodhood and Mrs. Baker spent their Wednesday afternoons together in disgust. Ms. Baker always has a bulk list of chores for him to do. He cleans the chalk boards, straightens the dictionaries, and worse of all; pounds of the chalk from the erasers. Holling wants to complain and argue about all this work but he never does because of the future of Hoodhood Associates. Over time they become more fond each Wednesday, even when Holling accidentally lets out the class rats they become closer. Mrs. Baker decides that the way for Holling to learn during this extra time is to read Shakespeare. When they read the story the story Merchant of Venice. Holling takes from the story that Shylock, a character in the