“The land claims what you leave behind.”
Land and nature are sacred entities to the Native tribes which determine how the people interact with the natural world. The conflict in the narrative arises from an action that goes against the rules and tradition of the Blackfeet tribe. The four Blackfeet men in the story encounter the wrath of nature years after their hunting excursion. The quotation references the brutality of nature upon objects left behind to decay and wither away. Therefore, the narrative demonstrates that nature gives life and sustenance as much as it can take away and consume to achieve equilibrium. The rage of the supernatural entity matches the brutal nature of the universe in terms of reciprocity. Ultimately, the natural world claims back what it considers was taken from it by annihilating the four offenders involved.
“This is all you really need, isn’t it? Just one good friend. Somebody you can be stupid with. Somebody who’ll peel you up off the ground, prop you against the wall.”
The resilience of friendship bonds is observed in the four childhood friends especially that of Gabriel and Cass. The past mistake that ties them all together is a result of teenage rebellion and groupthink that leads to a terrible outcome. While the meat of the matter is the cost of deterring from tradition, the story is also about the friendship that connects them. One such friendship that only gets stronger is between Gabe and Cass as they prepare the sweat lodge ceremony for Nathan. The statement encapsulates the oath or bond among friends that draws them together even though in this case only leads to their doom.
“It's soft at the end. Not just the pain, but the world.”
Every individual in the narrative eventually encounters death that either consumes them or they escape it narrowly. The deaths of most of the characters are ruthless without any moment to contemplate the impending doom. However, for some, they accept it with open arms as a consolation of the mistakes they have done in their past. The quotation illustrates the process of enduring pain and death which at their peak are rather easier to handle. Case in point, Denorah is chased by the elk spirit determined to kill, putting her through pain and on the brink of death. However, close to the end, she consoles herself that the world will softly kill her even before the spirit itself. This same moment of clarity is achieved by the elk spirit after Denorah exhibits some compassion towards its pain.
