Movement and Maturity
It has been said, "The only thing constant is change itself." A change that we all must go through is the inevitable evolution from childhood into adulthood. In "Doe Season," David Michael Kaplain writes about Andy, a young girl, who makes this transition while she is on a hunting trip. In the story the author uses parallels between light, water, and blood, all things with continuous movement, to symbolize the constant changes that are a part of life. Light plays a very important role in the story. There is always a continuous movement in nature from darkness to light. Andy believes there is a clearly defined moment in which dark turns to light and expresses a desire to see this change. " There has to be just one moment when it all changes from dark to light.... She had missed it yesterday...today she would watch more closely" (354). In the story the darkness represents childhood and not being self-aware. Light, on the other hand, is a symbol for self-enlightenment that comes with maturity and adulthood. Contrary to what Andy thinks, there is no precise moment when it all changes. Just like life, it is a constant process. Not only the process of light is important in the story, but also the source. At the beginning of
Andy's dream, she awakens and "sense[s] light, blue and pale, light where before there had been none. The moon must have come out, she thought" (359). Here the author is using a foreshadowing of sorts, but to understand it, one must have knowledge of mythology. Diana, the Roman goddess of the moon, was also the goddess of the hunt. This is fitting not only because the characters are hunting, but also because the moon plays a vital role in assisting Andy's transformation. Through all of these uses of light David Kaplain symbolizes the change from girlhood into womanhood. In the story Andy sees the feminine light from the moon, and then she sees the doe. From the doe flows yet another reference to change and womanhood: blood. Genesis 9:4 says that blood is the "life of the flesh." Throughout history women have been known as the preservers of life. They provide care and nourishment, whereas the men are the hunters and killers. "That's what the woods are all about anyway...it's where women don't want to go" (355). The blood Andy sees coming from the doe appalls her. When her hand was in the deer it caused her physical pain because it was not in her nature to see the pain and blood and experience the horror that comes with killing. "And then her hand pulled free, followed by a steaming rush of b
Some common words found in the essay are:
David Kaplain, Michael Kaplain, Contrary Andy, Diana Roman, , woman's body, Season David, Doe Season, David Michael, doe season david, david michael kaplain, changes life, moment changes, michael kaplain, 360 andy, continuous movement, season david michael, girlhood womanhood, dark light, david michael, womanhood andy,
Approximate Word count = 881
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
