Never Cry Wolf By Farley Mowat

1223 Words3 Pages

All the influences above shaped Never Cry Wolf into the work it became to be. Mowat conveys many themes in the book, but one central theme is conveyed throughout the entire book. The theme conveyed is how humans are not inherently superior to other animals even though it is a common perception made by humans (Never Cry Wolf). Many literary aspects are used to convey this central theme. Mowat uses a humorous tone, the description of the setting, and characters, to convey the theme of how humans are not inherently superior to other animals.
Farley Mowat uses a humorous tone to convey that humans are not always superior to animals, in this case, wolves (Simms). Throughout the book Mowat humorously admits how he is a fool for thinking that he …show more content…

Much time passes before he even sights a single wolf. “After this dismaying tour of the boneyard it was three days before I found time for another trip…I went a quarter-mile on this second expedition- but saw no wolves” (51). Mowat with even all of his training is unable to locate the wolves and he is expected to observe them. The wolves, at this point, are smarter than Mowat without even trying to be. Later on, when Mowat sights his first wolf he foolishly admits that he was unprepared for how large and fierce the wolves appear. “… [T]he lean and sinewy motion and the overall impression of a beast the size of a small pony; an impression implicit with a feeling of lethal strength. Mowat had been slightly cautious about being around the wolves, but was not prepared for how the actual wolves were. Mowat had the common human perception that he was superior to the wolves and from his book research never felt as threatened by the wolves as he did now. The humorous tone in how Mowat describes these actions makes it seem as if he mocks the rest of the human population for doing the same thing on a daily basis. He isn’t ashamed by his astonishment and attempts to prove a …show more content…

The setting takes place in the Barren Land of northeast Canada (Simms). When Mowat arrives he is faced with the many challenges of this brutal climate. The wolves are already adapted to these circumstances and have evolved to endure the climate. Human’s on the other hand have not making them inferior to animals. This would be assumed as common knowledge but Mowat still makes the point to show this throughout his work. In the spring time when the weather changed the cabin was ruined by the flooding that washed in the ruins the fourteen huskies had built up all winter long. “… [T]he cabin had lost its charm, for the debris on the floor was a foot thick and somewhat repellent” (52). Mowat is then hindered by this for a while after it occurred. The wolves on the other hand never had this problem and lived much simpler. In the fight to survive easily in nature the wolves come out to be much more superior to humans. Humans assume with their complex brains and evolved technology they are better than animals. What Mowat was trying to make explicit was that wolves live an even easier life in nature without the help of

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