Discussion Questions:

How does the final chapter bring Cutuk's story to a close?

Points to Consider:

• The final chapter returns the land to the animals, with the lone female wolf, now a white wolf, and her offspring watching Cutuk and his dogs "retreating into the land." He's a part of the land with the wolves.
• The final images are of the arctic animals living their lives without disturbance and outside forces ruining the tranquility.
• The female is old, but she is wise and her offspring are "scattered" below, and thus her intelligence will live on.

If this wolf has been the "ordinary wolf" in Cutuk's life, what changes has she seen? (In Cutuk and in general.)

Points to Consider:

• The wolf has seen Cutuk transform from a young boy who wanted only to grow up killing wolves and being Eskimo to being a confident and caring young man. Where before he was unsure of himself and didn't fit in, he now realizes that he's connected to the wild and belongs there.
• She's seen "progress" come in the way of machines and rapid-fire weapons. She's watched the slaughter of her offspring and her mate. She's seen the evolution of arctic hunting and the transformation of respecting the land and the animals to something less than respect.