John’s family farm represents the world John knows and is comfortable in. John is familiar with the farm and his chores, so much so that he can do his work without thinking about the tasks. However, when viewed through the impending loss of John’s grandfather, the farm transforms into a reminder of what John once had and will lose.

The news turns John’s once-fulfilling chores into necessary distractions. Rather than doing the work because he enjoys it and it needs to be done, John throws himself into chores because they keep him from dwelling on how he’ll lose his grandfather. John first sees the doe while doing chores, and this moment foreshadows the importance the doe will come to have, as well as how tracking the doe will help John come to terms with his grandfather’s death—something chores alone could not do because they are too familiar to offer a new perspective.

From Chapter 1, John feels threatened by his grandfather’s cancer and the changes it brings to his life. His actions, both on the farm and later during the hunt, go toward trying to stop the cancer and, by extension, death from claiming his grandfather.