"Doe Season"

In “Doe Season” Andy finds the familiarity of the woods near her home to be both comforting and predictable. The woods symbolize the life she has lived thus far. Her well-known childhood gives her a sense of belonging, just as the woods near her home do. While recognizing that the woods never change Andy states, “The thought made her feel good: it was like thinking of God…” (456). Just as she cannot see God, Andy cannot see as far as the woods stretch. However, she is still able to find comfort in both. While her childhood is familiar, this hunting trip signifies that Andy is growing up, and her adulthood is not far away. During this time of transition she relates her adulthood to an ocean, which is both unpredictable and unknown. When Andy describes the ocean she says, “It was huge and empty, yet always moving. Everything lay hidden” (459). She does not know what the future will hold for her, thus her future is hidden similarly to the ocean. She struggles with her impending adulthood because she is unaware of what it will be like, and she is apprehensive to leave her comfortable childhood behind.