The Great Outdoors: A Culture of its Own

As a member of a family who is extremely obsessed with hunting and anything to do with the great outdoors, I can appreciate that this story is set in this whole different culture that is the hunting life. I have always had issues with my younger brothers shooting poor innocent deer and other creatures, and it is interesting that in the story the bear himself is given respect and a name, because I tend to give that same respect to the animals that I see my younger brothers scope in their rifles toward. However, this young boy is coming of age in a way that can only be seen in the hunting lifestyle: to have one's first kill is an extraordinary experience that one learns a great deal from. The outdoor world has a whole different moral code and set of ethics, and it will be interesting to see how this new version of the bildingsroman develops.