How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"Jody knew that he should feel badly about old Betsy, but all that he could feel was excitement. The unwarranted kill, inside the sanctuary of the Baxter acres, had made a personal enemy of the big bear that had evaded all the stock owners for five years." (3.42)
Sure, Jody, death seems exciting now—but wait until Old Slewfoot starts coming after your hogs and threatening your own life. It's not going to seem so glamorous then.
Quote #2
"And son, you ain't never seed a bear kilt. But mean as they be hit's someway piteeful when they go down and the dogs tear their throats and they cry out jest like a person, and lay down and die before you" (4.131)
Even Penny, the consummate hunter, feels bad for the animals he kills. Maybe this is why he is so principled about only killing what he needs: he respects death.
Quote #3
"Something ran behind him and ahead of him. It stalked the scrub like a panther. It was vast and formless and it was his enemy. Ol' Death was loose in the scrub" (14.143)
Yeah, death doesn't look so exciting now, does it? When a rattlesnake bites Penny, death suddenly starts to see way real. It's no longer exciting and thrilling; it's devastating. Maybe that's part of growing up.