Like Bob Fields (see above), Bruce Mate appears in only one narrative ("A Presentation of Whales"), but has considerable impact on the story and its thematic content, and indeed on the thematic perspective of the collection as a whole. Mate displaces a balanced, compassionate human sensitivity to animals and to nature to which the author seems to aspire and furthermore seems to think is an example to which ALL humanity should aspire. Mate, like Fields above and Euler below, is portrayed as something of a heroic character, fueled by compassion and perspective as he faces down those who would exploit and/or damage nature.
