The Subplot of the Hunting Trip

Charlie's traumatic hunting trip with his father and his friends.

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The Night Before

The Campfire Conversation The Drunken Men Charlie wakes up in his tent and overhears his father and friends talking. They joke about violence toward women. Al Lathrop says he would blow his wife's head off. The Cherokee Nose Job Charlie's father describes how the Cherokees would slit a woman's nose for adultery. He says he would cut off a man's accessories. The Aftermath Charlie is terrified. He needs to urinate but is afraid to leave the tent. He eventually goes out and is seen by his father.

The Deer Gutting

The Killing The Shot Charlie's father shoots a deer perfectly. He then guts it with his hunting knife, spilling the intestines. Charlie vomits. The Contempt His father looks at him with disappointment. Charlie feels ashamed and angry. He never goes hunting again. The Symbolism The deer gutting becomes a symbol of his father's brutality. Charlie's vomiting is a rejection of that violence.

When Charlie was nine years old, October

Three days later, the last day of the trip