Brian’s experience of nature is limited before he crashes into the lake. He is a self-described city boy, and it takes him quite a while to acclimate to living in the wilderness. He must learn to distinguish between foreign sights, sounds, and smells to survive. He must learn to think like an animal to protect himself. When he achieves this change in perspective, he states, “I am not the same […] I see, I hear differently” (100). He finds that all creatures are similarly motivated. They each have simple desires—to find food, water, and shelter. Once he understands the similarities between himself and the animals of the forest, Brian finds a peaceful clarity about his position in the ecosystem: “Brian knew the wolf for what it was—another part of the woods, another part of all of it […] he knew the wolf now, as the wolf knew him” (115).

Brian also learns to differentiate blind fear from keen awareness. This transformation is most apparent after Brian’s attempted suicide. After succumbing to isolation and hopelessness, Brian wakes to realize he failed to kill himself. This moment represents a rebirth: Hating “what he had done to himself when he was the old Brian and was weak,” Brian resolves to never “let death in again” (117).