Farley Mowat’s three books Never Cry Wolf (1963), The People of the Deer (1952) and A Whale for the Killing are all in agreement on the theme of naturalism. The novels also agree that the commercialization of hunting and the survival of the best fit is a result of the ruthlessness of mankind. Mowat writes, “My early years as an amateur naturalist were fascinating and free but I found as I grew older that my hobby had to now become my career” (Mowat NEVER 8). In his novels, Mowat explores the necessity of hunting to survive. He also explores the survival struggle and the survival of the strongest. Mowat, however, raises in a subtly manner the question as to what it costs for survival. Is it the extinction or man’s suffering? Mowat, a Canadian Biologist who works for The Canadian Wildlife Center and writes autobiographically about his experiences in the wild. He learns to appreciate the differences in humans and animals. Animal philanthropy is prominent in Mowat’s books. He travels to the tundra region where Eskimo live to learn more about the plight and suffering of animals. The cultural immersion will teach him many lessons about appreciating and respecting life.

Naturalism is a theory where animals and humans are humanized. It takes a scientific approach to the world. Mowat is a naturalist because his novels feature explorers who are Mowat. These explorers are tasked with performing scientific studies of animals. Naturalist novels explore the author’s exploration of man’s desire for adventure, knowledge, and lust. Often, the protagonist must leave his home to move to a foreign land and live there by force. In addition, the natural novel places a heavy emphasis on the impact of environment, hereditary traits, and nature upon growth and development. This leads to a debate between Nature vs Nurture, wild vs civilized, instinct vs education. Naturalism writers follow Darwinian principles of heredity and selection of the best and survive the most. Naturalistic stories are underpinned by determinism. Man tries to resist fate in vain, but free will doesn’t exist. The authors avoid romanticizing their narratives and instead opt for a realistic representation.

The novels Never Cry Wolf and The People of the Deer are set in Canada. They portray the world with objectivity. They show “how such conceptions of naturalism could be constituted to be significant in scientific practices”. (Rouse, 262). Mowat describes the experience of his encounters with wolves as being “satisfying on a scientific level, and it seemed to intensify the Hound of the Baskervilles desolate atmosphere” (Mowat NEVER 50). Mowat compares the experience of the wolves in the wilderness to the Hound of the Baskervilles by Sherlock Holmes, where the detective is examining an unusual type of canine under a magnifying glass. The intertextuality of this example enriches the story by showing the savagery animals can be and how man tries to control them or eliminate. Mowat, a child at the time of the novel, became fascinated with animal biology after a study by a gopher mammalogist. His mentor, a second mammalogist specializing in the shrew, was familiarized with this creature. Both mentors developed a relationship with the animals they study and care deeply about their preservation in the natural habitats. Mowat looks at the wolves from a distance (Mowat Not 75) and if the thought occurs to deviate from the traditional ways of studying, it is labelled “scientific Treason”. Never Cry Wolf is a naturalistic and scientific text that teaches man to appreciate nature through its close adherence with scientific principles.

People of the Deer (published in 1952) is the story of an Inuit scientist sent to the Barrens of Canada by the Canadian government. Mowat is “desperately looking for something that is rooted in real life” (People of the Deer 18.) This aspiration combines realism and naturalism, while also asserting the objectivity of science. Naturalism, in fact, is a branch of science that is derived from the realism. Therefore it is not surprising to see scientists searching for something that is grounded in reality. Movat “must remember that (he) is a biologist in a way” (Mowat People 176). He equips himself with “scientific gear” in his expedition (Mowat People 25, and at the end of the book he admits that it was “a purely experimental trip” (Mowat People 311; a novel). Mowat establishes a scientific basis for this novel, and also explains his objectivity. Mowat’s scientific intellect enables him to determine why the deer population is declining rapidly and annually. As he solves the mystery, he shifts from being a biologist to becoming an anthropologist.

Another novel to be viewed with scientific lenses is A whale for the killing. Mowat mentions man hunted the whales for both their commercial and scientific value. Scientists consider the whale to be a machine, and the science that has been discovered has led them to conclude that whales represent one of the highest forms of living. Mowat describes him as “a scientist who is trying to discover the secrets of life in whales.” (Mowat, A Whale 60). Mowat has questioned the integrity in research due to greed and bad-doing. Explorers from Canada and Newfoundland set off to the seas to help save whales.

The three novels all deal with evolution and survival. Never Cry Wolf addresses the issue of diminishing caribous populations in the wild as well as the hunt of these creatures. The wolves eat the caribou for survival, but not enough to cause extinction. Wolf hunters, who killed and chased wolves to obtain their furs and bounty were responsible. Mowat gets a lecture in this novel “illustrating the survival of fittest theory through the agency natural selection”(Mowat Never 126) Mowat marvels at how the wolves can survive in the face of adversity. “They could survive and function normal (on a mice regimen)” (Mowat, Never 113). He learns that wolves feed on hares, small animals, and other prey to survive.

Mowat writes in The People of the Deer about the “hopeless fight of survival” the Eskimo endure because they “relied on deer to feed themselves…also make clothing and shelters”(Frahm 4). The decline in deer populations is directly attributable to the indiscriminate killing of caribou and deer. Eskimo people, who have been starved for many years, are dependent on deer. Ootek is Mowat’s tour guide and poses the first question that Eskimo consider. “Will deer, our life’s blood, approve?” Or, to put it more directly, “Will the site supply meat essential to human survival” (Mowat People 244)? Survival is the first priority when moving to hunt deer. Eskimo people rely on the fat of deer for food and warmth, particularly to survive the constant frigid temperatures. The human race survives by destroying other animals. A Whale for the killing depicts man’s struggle for survival against beasts. Mowat writes that whales are able to survive because they have been doing so for millions years. Whales had been land-based at one time, but evolved and adapted mechanisms made them marine creatures. Mowat admits, however, that the human race has the right to live and hunt to survive. This novel reveals the man’s practice of indiscriminately slaughtering whales for both commercial and necessity reasons. The battle is for the strongest. When hunting animals, neither man nor beast can make a choice. It is imperative that the hunt continues to ensure survival.

Mowat is a humane activist who focuses on the themes of human and animal. In order to curb the slaughter of animals, the scientist humanizes the animals by living with them, studying their habits and sympathizing with their tragedy. The wolf, the whale and the deer have been reduced to small groups on the brink of extinction by human savagery. In order to maintain the balance of life, man is at the top and must take responsibility for his actions. The Innuit are referred to as “barbaric” and “bestial” people by missionary groups and government. Mowat uses language that condemns the animalistic desire of man to decimate animals whose sole goal is survival. Mowat calls man “a terrestrial animal with rigid perceptions” (Mowat, A Whale 70). Mowat’s disgust at man’s pursuit of whaling led him to criticize man as a “rapacious animal” that was “set about annihilating whales” during the 17th century (Mowat: A Whale 211). Mowat criticizes mankind for destroying the whales in earnest during the early 17th century. (Mowat A Whale 211).

Mowat quickly forms a relationship with the creatures he lives amongst (whales and deer). Lutts, in his first book on Mowats’s works, describes them as “realistic wild animals story (where )… wild animal stories combined elements of animal writing and nature fiction)” where close proximity between man & beast fosters the relationship. Mowat feels a kinship to the whale. (Mowat The Whale, 158). Mowat elevates the whale to a brother by feeling kinship. Whales, which are normally harmless, can be targeted by humans because they have blubber or meat that is expensive and used to manufacture other products. “The combination of the genius of the human being for destruction combined with the satanic capabilities of his technological power dyed Antarctic waters red” (Mowat A Whale). Man’s ruthlessness, greed and cruelty are unimaginable. Mowat focuses his attention on the Arctic and its wildlife, native populations, and the mistreatment of these peoples by the government and the industry. Since the hunt does not serve as a means of survival or scientific study, it exposes human nature for what is is.

Mowat’s books are a reflection of his naturalistic nature. They reflect the scientific underpinnings, the struggle of survival, and the voice of philanthropy to conserve the wilderness and care for nature. Animals require protection because humans have a limited ability to influence their fate. Mowat’s love of scientific naturalism leads him on many expeditions to find animals and people who are in need of help. This focus is on the Wild, which highlights that it can sometimes be more civilized or humane than you think.

michaellang

Michael Lang is a 33-year-old professor and blogger who is passionate about writing. He has been blogging for over 7 years and has written for various online publications. Michael is also a seasoned professor who has taught at the college level for over a decade. He is currently a professor of English at a community college in the Midwest.