Man vs. nature—it's a classic theme in novels and stories. People are struggling to survive in the wild, being attacked by animals, freezing in the Arctic or broiling in the desert, or maybe even doing their own part to destroy nature.
Paulsen, on the other hand, doesn't really see it as a conflict. From the time he's a troubled child through his advanced adulthood, he spends a ton of time outdoors. (Especially as a teenager, he finds solace hunting in the woods.) In his descriptions of the mountains and his outdoor surroundings in My Life in Dog Years, we know that Paulsen highly values the natural world.
That love for nature doesn't just extend to beautiful settings or adorable dogs; he also cares for "problem bears" so much that he doesn't want to shoot them, even when they threaten his family. This conflict, which is under the surface in a few chapters, makes us wonder: is Paulsen right to love all living creatures? How about that snake that almost killed him? Could all of those novelists who pit man and nature against each other be on to something, after all?
Questions About Man and the Natural World
- What does Paulsen appreciate about the Great Outdoors?
- Paulsen shows his respect for all things natural with his reluctance to shoot a bear that's a possible threat to his family. What other signs of that respect are in the book?
- Do you think that Paulsen's love of dogs is related to his being an outdoorsman?
Chew on This
One reason Paulsen loves dogs is that they're so much at home in the natural world.
In My Life in Dog Years, we see Paulsen prioritize nature over human life—sometimes to a fault.