Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, child death, and animal death.

Human-animal conflict is at the heart of the novel, exploring questions about what constitutes “normal” animal behavior and which lives—human or animal—matter more. While the novel is firmly on the side of Joe Pickett in that the lives of humans cannot be risked to “save” wildlife, it also shows how human and animal interests are sometimes difficult to balance. The narrative also blurs the boundaries between humans and animals, illustrating the fluid dynamics between humans and nature.

The novel’s setting brings humans and animals into close proximity. In some ways, the human characters behave as if their relationship with nature is straightforward, with humans exercising dominion over the natural world. Hunting, for example, is considered useful to keep the populations of certain animals in check and also provides livelihoods to outfitters who guide hunting expeditions. Joe states a preference for those who hunt for food, as opposed to those who hunt for trophies, but knows that even trophy hunting is permitted. The men who hunt a black bear sow, mistaking her for a grizzly, are let off with a citation, while the bear who is hunting humans is marked to be killed, suggesting that humans are in an uncomplicated position of power over animals.