Into the Wild

Tigerclaw is the primary antagonist of the novel. He is a large, strong warrior, and his body bears the signs of past battles, as “one of his ears was split into a deep vee shape, and a thick scar sliced the bridge of his nose” (45). At first, Firepaw admires Tigerclaw’s strength, but he grows wary of him as Tigerclaw is witheringly critical of both Ravenpaw and Firepaw. This wariness becomes animosity when Firepaw learns that Tigerclaw murdered Redtail and plans to kill Ravenpaw, the sole witness to the crime.

Readers are first introduced to Tigerclaw in the prologue, when he fights Oakheart at the battle for Sunningrocks. Tigerclaw is a ferocious, unyielding warrior. In the prologue, he hesitates to obey Redtail’s order to retreat, and Redtail must remind Tigerclaw that it’s for the sake of preserving ThunderClan lives. This moment foreshadows Tigerclaw’s primary antagonistic traits in the narrative: his aggression and prioritization of his own goals over service to the Clan. Although the other cats of ThunderClan perceive Tigerclaw as a capable and dedicated warrior, Tigerclaw’s “loyalty” hides treachery. Tigerclaw kills Redtail for the deputy position and later is willing to kill Ravenpaw, his own apprentice, when he learns that Ravenpaw witnessed the murder. Tigerclaw’s goals throughout the narrative are static: He wants power and is willing to betray his Clan and the warrior code to get it, obscuring the evidence of his misdeeds through whatever means necessary.

Although Tigerclaw is first introduced as the key figure in the murder-mystery subplot in Chapter 12, he is an antagonistic character throughout the novel. Tigerclaw’s treatment of Ravenpaw, in particular, characterizes him as such. Tigerclaw treats Ravenpaw derisively, and Ravenpaw often appears terrified of him. Tigerclaw doesn’t limit himself to insulting Ravenpaw; he often also insults Firepaw and tries to sabotage him, as when he sends Firepaw to his old Twolegplace in Chapter 10. This places Tigerclaw in opposition to Firepaw even before he’s revealed as the antagonist. After Firepaw notices Tigerclaw’s “look of horror and then fury” at Ravenpaw’s retelling of the Battle of Sunningrocks in Chapter 12 (148), the narrative establishes Tigerclaw as a potential antagonist and gradually reveals his ulterior motives. For example, after Bluestar loses a life in Chapter 16, Firepaw is confused at Tigerclaw’s impassivity and Tigerclaw’s face “dark with unknowable thoughts” when she revives (190). Tigerclaw is exposed as the primary antagonist once Firepaw learns about Tigerclaw’s plans for Ravenpaw, and Ravenpaw reveals the truth about Redtail’s murder in Chapter 20. After this moment, Firepaw and Tigerclaw look at each other and “their eyes were locked as enemies,” unequivocally signaling Tigerclaw as the antagonist (213).

As the antagonist, Tigerclaw foils Firepaw. This foil communicates the theme of Greed and Ambition Versus Loyalty and Fellowship. In the narrative, Firepaw struggles internally over how to honor both his personal integrity and loyalty to the Clan, while Tigerclaw’s loyalty is ultimately superficial and self-serving. Throughout the novel, Tigerclaw serves only his own ambition, placing his lust for power above all else and marking himself as an enemy of the essential fellowship of Clan life. Tigerclaw kills Redtail for the deputy position and later demonstrates a lack of concern for Bluestar’s life. His clear disinterest in the lives of his Clanmates reveals his true motives and demonstrates that his only loyalty is to himself.

Bluestar is the leader of ThunderClan and Firepaw’s mentor, both literally and archetypally. She appears first in the prologue, when she worries about her Clan’s survival in the face of dwindling warrior ranks and increased territorial disputes. Bluestar’s main goal is to ensure her Clan’s survival, and she struggles with the loss of her two deputies, Redtail and Lionheart. Bluestar is wise and steady, a strong and fair leader to ThunderClan. She places the needs of her Clan first, even above her own life, as she does in Chapter 18 when she reminds Tigerclaw that the Clan’s safety is more important than her own. In contrast to Brokenstar, Bluestar is the benevolent ruler; her adherence to the warrior code and commitment to fellowship reinforce the thematic importance of prioritizing community over self.

Bluestar is frequently associated with moonlight, reinforcing the characterization of her wisdom. When Firepaw first meets Bluestar in Chapter 1, he notes that “her smooth gray coat shone like silver in the moonlight” (17). Because the moon and stars are motifs in the narrative signifying divinity and holiness, Bluestar’s association with moonlight establishes her as a strong spiritual figure. Bluestar’s wisdom is an important example for Firepaw and gives him an additional strength over Tigerclaw. Firepaw journeys into Mothermouth with Bluestar to the Moonstone in Chapter 15; there, he witnesses Bluestar commune with StarClan, and she tells him that a cat needs a particular kind of strength to be able to communicate with StarClan. Her example of spirituality teaches Firepaw the importance of it as well, giving him an additional strength over Tigerclaw, who flees before the Moonstone’s power.

Bluestar’s wisdom often influences Firepaw’s own actions. Bluestar encourages Firepaw’s choices to be loyal not just to community but to individuals as well, as she does when she trusts Firepaw’s judgments of Yellowfang and later trusts him to find out the truth from her in Chapter 21. Bluestar’s reactions to Yellowfang reinforce the rightness of Firepaw’s decisions to treat Yellowfang with goodwill and communicate the theme of Personal Honor and Bonds of Choice. Bluestar is consistently one of the only cats to treat Yellowfang fairly; she reminds ThunderClan in Chapter 13 that Yellowfang has done them no harm, despite Brokenstar’s accusations, and in Chapter 21 Bluestar trusts Firepaw to ascertain the truth of the kits’ abduction instead of assuming Yellowfang’s guilt. As the archetypal mentor, Bluestar’s actions set an example for Firepaw and subtextually reinforce the reader’s understanding that Firepaw’s discernment in extending compassion and fair treatment to others, even perceived enemies, is honorable.

Yellowfang is the former medicine cat of ShadowClan, exiled by Brokenstar after he blames her for the death of two kits whom Brokenstar killed. Yellowfang’s main conflict in the novel is over her exile from ShadowClan and her guilt for not opposing Brokenstar. At first, she resides in ThunderClan as a prisoner, but she ultimately finds a home there. Initially, Yellowfang is caustic and a “spiteful old bone-bag,” as Firepaw calls her (103), but over time the two cats develop a friendship. Firepaw’s friendship with Yellowfang communicates the importance of Personal Honor and Bonds of Choice.

Yellowfang foils Firepaw’s position in ThunderClan in many aspects. Like Firepaw, she is an outsider and is initially distrusted by many of the Clan’s members, but she too ultimately wins their respect after she helps rescue the stolen kits from ShadowClan. Yellowfang’s main conflict mirrors one of Firepaw’s: that of her loyalty. After Yellowfang accepts Bluestar’s offer to join ThunderClan, Yellowfang wonders if her decision indicates her as disloyal; after all, she was born in ShadowClan. Firepaw reminds her that if that were the case, then he’d be fighting for his Twolegs. Although Yellowfang acknowledges Firepaw’s point, her grief over her exile from her Clan is clear; in Chapter 23, she speaks angrily about how Brokenstar has corrupted ShadowClan and of the strength they once had when they followed the warrior code: “‘Our Clan was not always like this,’ Yellowfang interrupted. ‘When Raggedstar led ShadowClan, we were feared for our strength. But in those days our strength came from the warrior code and our Clan loyalty, not from fear and bloodlust’” (256). Yellowfang also feels guilty over how Brokenstar came to power. When she reveals the truth of her exile from ShadowClan in Chapter 22, her “voice heavy with regret” demonstrates the shame she feels for letting Brokenstar lie and drive her out (249).

Yellowfang’s character arc resolves in Chapter 25, when she finds a new home in ThunderClan. Yellowfang helps drive Brokenstar out of ShadowClan and rescue the ThunderClan kits in Chapter 24, achieving personal redemption from her guilt over her failing to combat Brokenstar’s influence while she was medicine cat of ShadowClan. Yellowfang previously commented that bad things happen to kits when she’s around them (109), a clear reference to the death of the ShadowClan kits at Brokenstar’s claws; but Yellowfang is redeemed in her own eyes by her role in rescuing the ThunderClan kits. The redemption Yellowfang achieves for herself is represented by her acceptance of the medicine cat position in ThunderClan. Yellowfang was exiled from her position as a healer in ShadowClan, and she left feeling guilty and tainted by her silence against Brokenstar’s crimes; now, however, after rescuing the kits and freeing ShadowClan from Brokenstar’s influence, Yellowfang returns to her adopted Clan and assumes her former position as medicine cat. It’s a rebirth of sorts; Yellowfang returns to her medicine cat role with new perspective and honor. The resolution of Yellowfang’s character arc communicates the importance of choice in determining loyalties.

Brokenstar is the leader of ShadowClan and a secondary antagonist in the novel. He is menacing, cruel, and ruthless, disregarding the warrior code to serve his own hunger for power. He apprentices kits at young ages and kills them during training, and in Chapter 24, Brokenstar reveals that he even murdered Raggedstar, his own father and the previous leader of ShadowClan. Brokenstar is a corrupt ruler whose character communicates the dangers of placing greed for power over the needs of a community.

Firepaw first encounters Brokenstar at the Gathering in Chapter 12; there, Firepaw notes that “there was a stillness in the way [Brokenstar] sat and stared around him that made Firepaw’s fur prickle uncomfortably” (140). This characterization establishes a menacing mood around Brokenstar that is reinforced by his actions. Brokenstar’s continual breaches of the warrior code, such as encroaching on other Clans’ territories or apprenticing kits younger than six moons, threaten the vitality of his own and other Clans. In Chapter 23, the ShadowClan warriors explain that Brokenstar’s single-minded lust for power has left the rest of the Clan starving and living in fear, destroying the Clan’s foundational bonds of loyalty. The characterization of the ShadowClan cats’ devastated lives paints a stark picture of the consequences of disobeying honor and obligation to community. By scorning his essential duties to serve his Clan and abide by the warrior code, Brokenstar establishes himself as an enemy to the warrior society’s essential values of honor and fellowship. This positions him as a corrupt leader and antagonist in the narrative, and Brokenstar’s repudiations of the Clans’ code reinforce the novel’s thematic statement on the importance of placing fellowship and community before personal ambition. 

Graypaw is Firepaw’s first and closest friend in ThunderClan. Although Graypaw remains mostly static throughout the narrative, his character communicates the theme of Personal Honor and Bonds of Choice by serving as a model of friendship for Firepaw. Graypaw is often a comic character, providing relief in tense situations; for example, when Tigerclaw criticizes Ravenpaw and Firepaw in Chapter 5, Graypaw diffuses the situation by making a joke, easing the tension and discomfort. Graypaw also supports the novel’s thematic statement on friendships, as his easygoing personality means Firepaw can often rely on him for support and understanding.

Graypaw is an archetypal sidekick to Firepaw, and his steadfastness is unwavering. Graypaw is the first cat to enthusiastically welcome Firepaw into ThunderClan, and he exemplifies the importance of bonds of personal loyalty. For example, in Chapter 9, Graypaw gives himself a massive stomachache to cover for Firepaw when Tigerclaw catches Graypaw helping with Yellowfang’s care; later, in Chapter 21, Graypaw does not hesitate to help Firepaw rescue Ravenpaw and find Yellowfang. Ultimately, Graypaw is a stable model of friendship for Firepaw and continually demonstrates the importance of friendship in teaching loyalty and compassion.

Ravenpaw is Firepaw and Graypaw’s friend and fellow ThunderClan apprentice. Throughout the novel, Ravenpaw is terrorized by Tigerclaw because Ravenpaw knows the secret of Redtail’s murder. Ravenpaw’s knowledge adds tension to the plot and drives some of Tigerclaw’s antagonistic actions.

Ravenpaw first appears at the end of Chapter 3, when he races into camp and announces Redtail’s death. There, Firepaw notices that “his coat was ruffled and dusty, and his eyes were wild with fear” (39). This initial image is an accurate characterization of Ravenpaw throughout the rest of the novel. Ravenpaw’s primary conflict is the weight of his secret knowledge and his fear of Tigerclaw, and he is often jumpy and timid around others because of it. His conflict with Tigerclaw creates tension as Firepaw wonders at the odd animosity between them, such as when Firepaw notices Ravenpaw fleeing from Tigerclaw in Chapter 13. This later creates suspense when Tigerclaw plots to eliminate Ravenpaw and Firepaw feels the urgency of protecting his friend.

Like Graypaw, Ravenpaw’s character communicates the theme of Personal Honor and Bonds of Choice. Ravenpaw is the vehicle through which Firepaw demonstrates that loyalty to friends is equally important as loyalty to Clan. Although it means lying to his Clan, Firepaw helps Ravenpaw escape ThunderClan territory and fabricates a story about his friend’s death to protect Ravenpaw from Tigerclaw. Through Firepaw’s friendship with Ravenpaw, the narrative communicates the importance of honoring personal bonds and demonstrates that they can coexist with loyalty to community.