72 pages • 2 hours read
Rosanne Parry, Illustr. Mónica ArmiñoA Wolf Called Wander
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2019A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Symbols & Motifs
The Wolf Star
The Wolf Star is both a physical celestial body present in the night sky and a greater ideal that represents the belief system that Wander’s mother impresses upon her young pups from the time they are born. Throughout the novel, the Wolf Star functions as both a symbol and motif. For the pups within the story, it symbolizes an almost spiritual connection to their place in the natural world and expresses their view of themselves as parts of an interconnected whole. For the reader, the Wolf Star serves as a motif, for while the story is driven by authentic, scientifically accurate wolf behavior, Roseanne Parry also makes liberal use of both personification and anthropomorphism to endow his non-human narrator with humanlike attributes. In the real world, complex pack relationships and powerful connections to physical territory have been observed to drive the collective behavior of wolf packs, but in order to develop an imaginary version of a wolf’s inner psychological landscape, Parry uses the Wolf Star as a way of explaining the wolf belief system that she creates for her characters. Thus, she invites the reader to imagine how wolves might intellectually and metaphysically understand themselves, their culture, and their purpose on earth in relation to the landscape around them and the cosmos above.
In accordance with this dynamic, Wander does not use the Wolf Star for terrain navigation the way a human might. Instead, it guides him morally and sustains the intergenerational connection he has to his mother. He takes comfort in the presence of the Wolf Star above him and embraces the idea that its presence promises that the world functions according to some kind of order, even when life’s challenges have rendered him vulnerable and hopeless. When Wander describes meeting his own pups for the first time, the idea of the Wolf Star watching over them is likewise present in his mind; he is immediately reminded of his parents’ value system now that he has young of his own to continue his family’s legacy as part of the tapestry of the wild.
The Raven
The raven who accompanies Wander and helps him to find much-needed food sources is a prime example of the symbiotic relationship that wild animals often have with each other. The raven herself, and to a greater extent the particulars of her collaboration with Wander, symbolizes the inescapable interconnectedness that exists in a world that is purely natural, wild, and authentic. Both the wolf and the raven are specifically adapted to their individual purposes, but each in turn has weaknesses, and when they combine their skillsets, they are able to overcome and compensate for some of their natural disadvantages by using strategy to achieve mutual goals. The raven, a carrion bird, cannot take down an elk, and the wolf can only perceive so much when watching for herds of elk to enter their territory. With the raven as a scout, the wolf can conserve its energy for the hunt and have a higher chance of achieving a successful kill, while the raven, who is in no danger from the wolf it assists, is guaranteed an easy meal.
The presence of the raven as a makeshift companion also emphasizes Wander’s relative innocence and inexperience, as well as his isolation from lupine community; his pack is decimated by violence before he has the opportunity to absorb the full range of Father’s knowledge and wisdom. Repeatedly throughout the novel, Wander is forced to try to replicate what he saw his elder wolves accomplishing with relative ease, but it soon becomes apparent that Wander’s challenges are twofold: He is young, and he is alone. When he meets the raven, Wander feels a sense of hope, for whenever he is able to follow in his father’s footsteps, he rekindles the memories of his lost relationships and staves off his grief and loneliness. Thus, the presence of a cooperative companion, even of a different species, is comforting to him. When the raven leaves, Wander is saddened by the loss of his single source of social interaction and also by the reminder that while different species can commune to a certain extent, there is no substitute for an authentic connection with one’s own kind.
The Wildfire
The wildfire that rages across the landscape and forces Wander to flee is the most significant, immediate threat to his life over the course of his solo travels to his new home ground. Wander is disoriented, because the sense he most dominantly relies upon, smell, is overwhelmed by smoke, and he cannot figure out which direction to go in order to avoid the onslaught of flames. While sometimes a naturally occurring phenomenon, according to a piece published in Science Magazine, 90% of wildfires in Wander’s native region of California and the coastal Northwest are started by humans (Cornwall, Warren. “Who Is Starting All These Wildfires? We Are.” Science Magazine, 2017). While wolves are subject to human-instigated dangers such as illegal hunting and other forms of malicious harm, the wildfire symbolizes a kind of destruction based not on intent but on an existential threat to the safety of all creatures within the region, and this reality becomes particularly evident when Wander finds himself joining a multitude of other species in the refuge from the blaze provided by the river. An element of expected danger is present for all animals living in the wild as a condition of their existence, but this forest fire and others like it create sweeping destruction with lasting effects on the environment and those who make their home there. Wander’s ability to push himself through the terror and confusion of the fire and reach the safety of the river with his father’s voice echoing his last words, “Carry on,” in his mind is a testament to the extent to which living creatures will fight to survive in trying circumstances. Wander is fortunate that he can continue on in his journey to finding a habitable home, but the fire is proof that no matter how wary his direct interactions with humans have made him, there is no distance that will render him safe from all the various risks that both the natural world and the encroachment of humans present.
Livestock Guardian Dog
Wander calls the dog who guards the man’s sheep a “not-wolf,” but she is more commonly known as a livestock guardian dog, a member of one of the many domesticated canid breeds intentionally cultivated through careful genetic selection to show loyalty to their humans and protect a farm’s livestock, thus spreading their innate territorial instincts and sense of “pack” belonging over the humans and other animals in their charge. Livestock guardian dogs are gentle with their human families but act with watchful defensiveness should predators or other trespassers threaten the safety of a flock or herd. Popular breeds among keepers of domesticated livestock in the United States include the Great Pyrenees, Kuvasz, Italian Maremma Sheepdog, Spanish Mastiff, and the Anatolian Shepherd. The renderings of the “not-wolf” by the novel’s illustrator, Mónica Armiño, most closely resemble the Anatolian Shepherd, so it is possible that Wander’s not-wolf is a member of this breed.
The not-wolf thus symbolizes the bridge between humans and canids; as Wander observes in his interaction with her, the two have much in common, and yet thousands of years of domestication have made her behavior and temperament entirely perplexing and indefensible from Wander’s perspective. Knowing how dangerous humans can be, Wander does understand why the not-wolf would remain loyal to them. Great prejudice continues to exist toward wolves among many ranchers, farmers, and hunters alike, despite a wealth of scientifically grounded proof that wolves pose little threat to the livelihood of most flocks and herds. The livestock guardian dog serves as a contrast between Wander and herself; while a human might be exceptionally attached to their livestock guardian dog or other canine pet, they fail to recognize the kinship between their domesticated dogs and the wild wolf, suggesting that some humans are selective in their respect of animals as living beings, and that the level of respect they are willing to grant to an animal is linked to how well the animal fits within the parameters of the human’s own interests.
The Black River
When Wander first encounters a road, he calls it the “black river.” As a pup, Wander is taught that the motives of humans are inconsistent and unpredictable. He never intends to travel far enough to become embroiled in potentially fatal interactions with humans, but he covers so much physical ground that he cannot avoid such collisions. The road is thus a symbol of human encroachment into wild spaces, a convenience constructed so that humans might have greater access to and dominance over the landscape.
When Wander finds the dead deer on the side of the road, he recognizes the destruction and mercilessness of humans and realizes that even when they do not directly intend to harm wolves or other wild creatures, humans continue to pose an innate threat simply due to the indifference with which they exist in the world, for their own sense of entitlement allows them to remain oblivious to the larger impact of their presence in the world. Wander is accordingly disgusted by the black river and uses it as a reference point; he knows that if he ever finds himself close to one again, he will avoid it at all costs and proceed in another direction. The black river also symbolizes Wander’s first opportunity to behave toward another wolf in an authoritative manner, for he uses the same body language he once observed in his family to influence Night’s behavior and protect her from the dangers of the road. Thus, he sacrifices his own need for companionship in order to prevent her from coming to harm.
