'Doe Season' Question #3

The woods portray the security and safety of a child's environment. Children have faith and assurance that they are safe from danger. Parents and other people give children that sense of security, by their constant presence and guidance. The woods and trees around Andy gave her that same feeling of being safe and secure because she knew that the woods never changed; they were always there and the same.
When Andy was first introduced to the ocean, it was a new feeling; much different than that of the woods. The ocean is wide open, full of wonder and darkness, wild and unexpecting. Andy was intimidated by that because it was something she had never experienced; she wasn't accepting of that vast amount of life and uncertainty.
As Andy got older, she was inevitably faced with reality outside of the woods. She became exposed to every aspect of the outside: things in nature that she enjoyed, but also things that were fierce. The things from Andy's outside experience that made her uncomfortable, such as the wind and bitter coldness, the adrenaline of the hunt, and altogether new adventure, are what reminded her of the ocean.
This story of stepping from the woods into the open field/ocean is an analogy of the transition from Andy's childhood into her alduthood. She willingly and readily took those steps because she was beginning to mature and face new opportunities, realizing that it required braveness. Through her braveness, Andy found that there was also freedom.