Julie of the WolvesFertile wilderness

Julie of the Wolves is the story of an Eskimo girl, Miyax, who tries to live with a wolf pack in order to survive in the tundra of the Arctic. Throughout the story, she has been in a struggle between going back to the natural world and accepting civilization. The writer also depicts traditional Eskimo culture and the changes of these aboriginal inhabitants vividly. In my point of view, the main ideas of this book are love, bravery, and cultural relativism. All of them are conveyed through the life journey of a little girl.

The most important idea is LOVE. To begin with, the happiest time of Miyax’s life was when she lived with her father at a seal camp. The love of parents towards their children is essential in all human beings. Her father had taught her many things she needed in order to survive in her future adventure. For example, he told her, “Fear can sometimes cripple a person to the point that he cannot think or act,” and “When fear seizes, change what you are doing. You are doing something wrong.” This helped her a lot when she was in danger.

Miyax shows her pursuit of love in many ways. When she left her aunt, she decided to marry Daniel, which is her action for pursuing love. It is also the reason why she left Daniel, who had been physically violent towards her. She makes me know that the true meaning of love is never being afraid to fall in or leave.

Miyax’s love for Mother Nature is seen the most when she stayed with the wolf pack. “Every life matters. Love everyone without judging.” She had good friendships with some wolves in the pack, especially Amaroq. They made her feel loved when her family were not around. Having a companion, even an animal, helps us feel less lonely and gives us hope to move on. When Amaroq was shot dead by a hunter, Miyax was so deeply disappointed at humans that she decided not to live in civilization anymore. The love for Mother Nature will finally lead her to go back to the tundra and live like an Eskimo.

The second idea is COURAGE. Courage helps us choose hope over fear. When Miyax was in a harsh situation and had to depend only on herself, she used what she had learned from her father to save herself in difficult environments. Her bravery finally conquered her fear and kept her alive. For instance, when she stayed with the wolves, she learned to communicate with them by observing and mimicking their behaviors. She finally made the wolves accept her into their pack. They provided her with food and protected her from harm. She survived because she let herself be scared for just a moment. She bravely got rid of her fear and kept moving on. It takes a lot of bravery for us to get over harsh conditions in our lives. This 13-year-old girl teaches us that when something bad happens to us, we should not let ourselves be so afraid that we cannot help ourselves. Instead of fear, courage is the key to survival.

Since many aboriginal traditions have helped their people to live in harmony with their environment for thousands of years, the writer teaches us to have respect for different races and appreciate the diversity of their cultures. CULTURAL RELATIVISM is the third idea I think the writer wants to convey, which is, people’s beliefs and behaviors should be realized according to their own cultures. Throughout this book, the writer has shown us the wisdom of Inuit culture. For instance, Miyax’s father taught her many skills that their ancestors passed down from generation to generation. She survived on the tundra because Inuit culture emphasizes that people can live by using resources provided by nature rather than depending on modern technology. Cultural relativism suggests that the values of one culture should not be evaluated by using the values of another. Nowadays all people should cultivate the ability to understand a different culture on its own terms and not to make judgments with the standard of one’s own culture. After all, no culture is superior to another.