"Doe Season"

In his short story, “Doe Season,” David Michael Kaplan writes about a young girl’s initiation into adulthood as she goes on a deer hunt. Kaplan uses two different pieces of nature in this story to contrast the changes that occur within Andy: the woods, and the ocean.
In the beginning of this story, it is stated that the thought of the woods to Andy “was like thinking of God,” (456). It is also know that she felt “they were always the same woods,” (456) perhaps signifying the deep-rooted relationship a child gains with its parents as they mature. The woods are also a beautiful means to represent the home, shelter, and safety from elements.
As they progress through the woods, Andy recalls her first trip to the ocean. The thought of this frightens her; “if you swam, something could pull you under.” (459) She also recalls that “everything lay hidden,” (459) adding to the mysterious characteristic of the ocean. In this way, Kaplan uses the vastness of the ocean to symbolize the unknowns about life that everyone must consider in order to mature.
By contrasting the woods with the ocean, Kaplan may be suggesting that in order to come of age, you must leave the shelter of “the same woods” and jump into the unknown.