Tracker

John’s grandfather (Clay Borne) motivates much of John’s actions throughout the novel, but he is also the inspiration for John’s emotional and spiritual growth. John’s grandfather is dying of cancer, but he doesn’t look it with his “clear eyes and steady hands” (3). He is a steady force in John’s life, which makes his imminent death so difficult for John to accept. He represents the idea that even the most constant things don’t last forever, and his personality shows calm acceptance, even as he might feel as though life is being unfair. Except for his anger in Chapter 4, John’s grandfather never shows his feelings about his impending death, and he likely keeps his feelings hidden so they don’t distress those around him. Here, the last name “Borne” strikes an ironic tone as John’s grandfather approaches death.

The doe is not so much an explicit character as it is a reflection of John’s evolution. When she first sees John, he is surprised she watches him for as long as she does. According to what he knows, the doe should be afraid and run from him because “man was the death smell” (25), and John believes deer associate humans with danger. The doe’s initial fearlessness and even curiosity toward John lead him to question his knowledge, something that his grandfather’s illness also leads him to do. In this way, while the doe might initially seem to function as an antagonist in that she is pitted against our protagonist, John, Paulsen ultimately disrupts these easy categorizations as John begins to link himself and his grandfather to the doe.