Yellowstone and the Wolves [ Edited ]

[Rachel-K]

How are the animal stories we encounter at Yellowstone different from those we've heard on the Allagash and in Indonesia? Is there less folklore in these chapters? What animal stories do we get?

How surprised were you by the rise of Mary's symptoms in this setting?

Mary is here to add a study of corvids to the mountainous pile of reports on every aspect of the cycle of life to be found in this particular habitat. What do you make of how much study of life is done here?

Do you have a sense of what Cobb and Mary are expecting about Mary's illness?

How would you describe the wolves we meet in these chapters?

[dhaupt]

The animal stories in this part of the book felt more realistic and less symbolic or folklore-ish to me. The study that Mary is doing here is more brutal and darwinist feeling here in Yellowstone.

I think in these chapters Cobb really gets his first sense of what he and Mary are in store for. It's a troubling feeling to me to see the beginnings of Mary's illness and know what the outcome eventually is. It's a bit like always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

[coffee_luvr]

This section presented animals in present day environments more than as folklore.  I mean the characters were literally involved in study and observance of the wildlife and how the death of prey provided the circle of life for so many other wildlife.  Great section!  I love Yellowstone, probably one of my favorite places I have visited.

I liked the way Cobb used his awe and amazement after seeing a wolf live for the first time as a way to try and let Francis know how much more there is to learn and experience in his life! 

I fully expected that this section would be where we would see the effects of Mary's illness come forward.  It was sad, but not surprising.  Cobb tells the ranger  & emergency personnel they know what the "issue" is and they both seemed to accept that their lives would be lived differently from that point on.

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[maxcat]

Yellowstone was not like the other locations in this book. There didn't seem to be much folklore here. But wolves and crows abound. Mary is asked to do research on corvids, mainly what they do after a wolf has brought an animal down and has eaten it. The crows come in and finish off the carcass. Cobb is fascinated with a wolf he has seen and knows that time is growing short after Mary becomes disoriented doing some research study at the ranger's office. He knows that time will be short and he must abide by Mary's wishes. The wolves were fascinating to me as I saw a documentary about them a couple of years ago. There were some fascinating things that they do much like what dog packs do. There's an alpha wolf and he gets to be the first to eat the kill. Then every other wolf can join in. There was even a book that came out with the documentary called "Wolves at our Door".

[nfam]

The relationship between Yellowstone, their "honeymoon" and the onset of Mary's illness was predictable. We're never allowed to hope that things will turn around. Mary is ill and won't get better. 

I thought the settings in Yellowstone were beautifully described. All the nature settings in the book are outstanding. The descriptions add emotional content to the story and draw you in. They mirror what is happening with Cobb and Mary, but they also signify hope. 

[SandyS]

I think Mary's illness and the effects of it are just starting to be known.  On pg 296 Mary says "For now, I guess I'm winding down on my driving career.  Otherwise, I intend to go forward.  Just forward." 

This is a huge change in their lives.   I don't think Mary & Cobb have really addressed this issue or its implications.

I have a family member who at age 45 lost his ability to drive due to seizures.  How do you get to work, the grocery store, activities.  Everything stops.  Everyone around now must adjust. 

And driving is only the beginning.  I feel for this couple - only just beginning their relationship and marriage.

SandyS

[JuneC]

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How would you describe the wolves we meet in these chapters?

Meeting the wolves is just the beginning of the "wolves" they have yet to encounter with Mary's illness. I have mentioned before that my father suffered with a syndrome similar to Huntington's and the "wolves" indeed prowled.

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[fordmg]

The animal stories in this section were more like documentaries instead of "stories".  This section gave me an idea of what kind of work Mary did as a scientest. 

MG

[ambika22]

How are the animal stories we encounter at Yellowstone different from those we've heard on the Allagash and in Indonesia? Is there less folklore in these chapters?

The stories in this part seemed more realistic that the previous ones and there is less folklore in them, i liked then more because of the vivid feelings they made me feel.


How surprised were you by the rise of Mary's symptoms in this setting?

It shocked me to see how Mary symptoms appear and start to get more and more frecuent, even knowing how the end is going to be i was very impressed. They are both starting to realise that the disease is progressing, and that sooner or later the will have to face it.

[tweezle]

I wasn't surprised by Mary's symptoms. There was a hint of them in the beginning when they were camping in ME, however, I was saddened that they were progressing. I had some hope that Mary wouldn't see them progress yet. I really wanted Yellowstone to be a success and then they would go downhill (my fairytale brain at work!).

The wolves were alive and hidden, announcing from time to time they were there, but with an air of sadness - just like Mary's future.

[HBT]

I was not surprised when Mary's symptoms started showing. I was actually expecting it. When Cobb left to see the bear I had the feeling that Mary was going to get disoriented again. 

[sarah_in_ca]

I was not totally surprised by the rise of Mary's symptoms while in Yellowstone.  There seems to be a pattern present hinting at a coming downturn which coincides with stress as well as new situations.  The stress is something Mary puts on herself by pushing herself to enjoy the fullest of life that she can.  All the paperwork in Yellowstone, spread across the long table, the desire to view the new bear kill, and a deadline for what seemed to me to be an umpossible task of counting crows and anayzing the information for years to come, initially pushed Mary's system over the edge.

[nicole21WA]

I felt Mary and Cobb were irresponsible in regards to Mary's job at Yellowstone.  They already knew Huntington's was really starting to affect Mary, but they didn't take any precautions.  I'm not saying that Mary should've informed her employer because she does have a right to privacy, but steps should've been taken to ensure Mary wouldn't have been in the situation she was when she was found disoriented.  Cobb had left her completely alone (and Mary was fine with that) when they both knew she could very well experience exactly what did happen.  I wasn't too impressed by either character to begin with, so this situation really cemented a dislike for me.

[Deltadawn]

by this point, not surprised, though, of course, saddened by the onset of Mary's inevitable symptoms. I feel that both she and Cobb are well aware that life will be changing from this point forward and are prepared to live as fully as they can until the time comes that they fulfill Mary's final wishes.

[emmagrace]

There is definitely less folklore in these chapters! I kind of missed Mary's stories! At least we had the knock-knock jokes!

I was not completely surprised by the rise of Mary's symptoms. I knew that her symptoms would show eventually, I just hate that it started on their "honeymoon" at Yellowstone. I think that Mary and Cobb suspect that they end has begun and deep down they are preparing for the inevitable.

[Zia01]

How are the animal stories we encounter at Yellowstone different from those we've heard on the Allagash and in Indonesia? Is there less folklore in these chapters? What animal stories do we get? At Yellowstone we get more factual studies of the animals and less of the lore. It didn't lessen my liking of the information thought. I thouroughly enjoyed the section about Yellowstone and it gave us a glimpse of what Mary and Cobb did over the next few summers.

How surprised were you by the rise of Mary's symptoms in this setting? Not surprised, saddened yes but not surprised. We knew from the beginning that it was coming and it had to happen sometimes, besides it wasn't the first real sign but it was the beginning of the end of her story.

[sgregg88]

How would you describe the wolves we meet in these chapters?

I think the interesting thing for me is the way that the wolves tie in with the story and the time in Mary's life.

In an earlier part of the book, we are told that the howl of the wolf can sound to many to be a very longing and lonely sound - we equate it with desperation, lonliness. And yet, the sound of the howl is the call of the wolf to another to bring about community and coming together.

I compare this with Mary's illness. As her symptoms progress, we might think that she is feeling more despair and frustration with it, that she will start detaching herself and leaving, and yet, it is a time when she wants her family and Cobb around, when she surrounds herself with her community and longs to say goodbye with everyone around. Like the wolves, we perceive what we think something is or how someone feels, when the opposite is actually true.

[dj5775]

Here Mary was really doing work in Yellowstone on the wolf, corvid population. It is more factual now not the usual stories of them that we've heard from Mary earlier. They are knowing her illness is coming and symptoms are more prominent. We knew at this point they would be more frequent and affecting them more.

[debbaker]

I agree they seem more realistic and less like folklore.

Not so m,uch surprised that they showed in this setting as that the relationship had not advanced. I had thought that it would be a little further in their relationship before she really exhibited symptons.

A study of changes to an ecosystem I would think would be fairly common in such situations.

Sorry for being so far behind with everything. Family crises to deal with.