The primary conflicts in “Doe Season” concern gender roles and the ethics of hunting. Among the members of two families who go deer hunting, Andy and her father are basically on one side, and Charlie and his son Mac are on the other side. Andy, the only female in the party, is a nine-year-old girl. Her father believes she is an asset as a good shot, but the others question her participation because she is female. Andy’s position seems to changes from pro-hunting to anti-hunting, but that remains an open question. The other characters remain pro-hunting but, after seeing Andy kill a deer, change their stance on female hunters.
As the hunting-camping trip starts, Charlie and Mac are revealed as sexist and unpleasant, not only taunting the girl but belittling her father, who is ostensibly Charlie’s friend. Neither is her father completely supportive, as his approval seems based in her “tomboy” identity. After Andy shoots and wounds a doe, the animal runs away and the hunters lose her in the woods. At night, she returns and Andy has an encounter—in her dream—of reaching inside the wound and touching the doe’s beating heart. She also embraces her own female identity and decides to stop using the masculine nickname. When the animal is found dead the next day, the men congratulate her. As it dawns on her what killing an animal means, Andy runs off into the forest.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Which characters and ideas are in conflict in "Doe Season"?
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