"Doe Season" is a short story by David Michael Kaplan, first published in 1982. The story revolves around a young girl named Andi Alpers, who goes on a hunting trip with her uncle, a guide, and some other men. The story explores themes of identity, family, and the complexities of human relationships.

Charlie

Kaplan uses a close third-person limited point of view, staying almost entirely inside Andy’s consciousness. This allows the reader to feel her confusion, her cold, her fear, and her dawning horror. Key stylistic features:

It is a small story, barely twenty pages. But like the best short fiction, it leaves a wound that doesn’t close—a mark every bit as lasting as a hunter’s notch on a belt.

Discussion Questions

Literary Devices

“Her mother walked into the water and kept walking… the water closed over her head.”

Overview:

Doe Season is a quietly tense literary novel about family, identity, and the moral complexities of survival. Kaplan tracks the unraveling of a small-town life through spare, observant prose and a steady accumulation of ethical dilemmas.

"Doe Season" is a short story by American writer David Michael Kaplan, first published in 1978. The story revolves around the themes of identity, family, and the complexities of human relationships. In this article, we will provide an in-depth analysis of the story, along with a brief overview of the author's background and literary style.