Doe Season
Baylee Brown
Dr. Strickland
English 102
4 April 2014
Essay Two: Doe Season by David Michael Kaplan There are many minor themes presented in the short story Doe Season by David Michael Kaplan, appearing in Portable Literature Seventh Edition on pages 368 through 378, however there is only one overwhelming theme presented throughout the entirety of the short story. It is through the protagonist, Andy, a nine-year-old tomboy, which the theme of coming of age, and the struggle most children are forced to experience when faced with reality of having to grow up and leave childhood behind is presented. Before going on this hunting trip Andy has yet to realize the truth about the way she behaves, she does not find it odd that she enjoys the same activities that her father and young boys enjoy. It is only when her father made the comment “That’s what the woods are all about anyway… It’s where the women don’t want to go” [Kaplan 374]. Andy is immediately embarrassed when her father makes this remark. She realizes that the three men with her on this hunting trip see her as just another one of the boys rather than a young woman when Charlie and Mac begin to pick on her, saying things like “She ain’t a woman” [Kaplan 374] and “[She’s] half a boy anyway” [Kaplan 374]. Charlie Spoon then proposes that Andy has a choice to make regarding her gender when he asks her which gender she choses to be “A boy or girl” [Kaplan 374] referring to Andy’s decision to be called a boy’s name, Andy, as opposed to her real name Andrea. She responds simply to Charlie’s question “I am a girl” [Kaplan 374] attempting to put a stop to Charlie’s teasing. In this moment Andy realizes that she is no longer a child, allowed to play in the dirt and hang out with the boys without judgment, but she is a girl who should no longer enjoy the same activities as her father. This moment in the story is very significant to revealing the theme as it illustrates the initial moment of recognition by Andy
Dr. Strickland
English 102
4 April 2014
Essay Two: Doe Season by David Michael Kaplan There are many minor themes presented in the short story Doe Season by David Michael Kaplan, appearing in Portable Literature Seventh Edition on pages 368 through 378, however there is only one overwhelming theme presented throughout the entirety of the short story. It is through the protagonist, Andy, a nine-year-old tomboy, which the theme of coming of age, and the struggle most children are forced to experience when faced with reality of having to grow up and leave childhood behind is presented. Before going on this hunting trip Andy has yet to realize the truth about the way she behaves, she does not find it odd that she enjoys the same activities that her father and young boys enjoy. It is only when her father made the comment “That’s what the woods are all about anyway… It’s where the women don’t want to go” [Kaplan 374]. Andy is immediately embarrassed when her father makes this remark. She realizes that the three men with her on this hunting trip see her as just another one of the boys rather than a young woman when Charlie and Mac begin to pick on her, saying things like “She ain’t a woman” [Kaplan 374] and “[She’s] half a boy anyway” [Kaplan 374]. Charlie Spoon then proposes that Andy has a choice to make regarding her gender when he asks her which gender she choses to be “A boy or girl” [Kaplan 374] referring to Andy’s decision to be called a boy’s name, Andy, as opposed to her real name Andrea. She responds simply to Charlie’s question “I am a girl” [Kaplan 374] attempting to put a stop to Charlie’s teasing. In this moment Andy realizes that she is no longer a child, allowed to play in the dirt and hang out with the boys without judgment, but she is a girl who should no longer enjoy the same activities as her father. This moment in the story is very significant to revealing the theme as it illustrates the initial moment of recognition by Andy