Living off the Land

This theme is seen throughout the whole book. John’s whole family are settlers and therefore have to tend to live stock and gardens. When the bears are killed for food the reader can see the harsh reality that you have to either eat the mountain's sources of food or be eaten by them in that time.

Family

Family is an important theme in this book seeing as John has a huge family. The mother always cooks for her family and extended family, and even though she is very tired from doing it, she puts them first. When John takes too long coming home a search party is rounded up and they brave the forest looking for him. Aunt Emma shows fear for his safety going through the woods and prior to that took him in and fed him cookies.

Perseverance

This theme...