Julie Of The Wolves

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1972

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Themes

The Wilderness Versus Civilization

Miyax is torn between the settings of wilderness and civilization. Her preference is for traditional Inuit life based on living off of the Alaskan landscape, but for a variety of reasons she is both made to and chooses to live in civilization. The struggle of deciding where to be and how to live characterizes Miyax and the plot.

The Alaskan wilderness can be harsh and difficult, and the novel makes this clear in Part 1 by describing Miyax as lost and desperate on the North Slope of Alaska, having run away from home. Her struggle to survive within an unforgiving landscape shows that Julie of the Wolves has elements of a basic human-versus-nature plot.

However, the novel also shows nature to be incredibly enriching, even in the harsh Alaskan landscape. This is at least the case for those, like Miyax, who know where and how to look for what nature can provide. In a wilderness that many would describe as barren, Miyax finds food grass, moss, and Arctic peas. Likewise, she ingeniously uses the raw materials she finds to create what she needs, like using caribou skin for a sled and tent, and using reeds to freeze water inside to create ice poles to use for that tent. Miyax also finds great beauty in nature, singing songs to the “power of the sun” and other wonders (47). Above all, the wolf pack that Miyax bonds with and that protects her shows how she finds value in parts of the natural world that other people might fear or overlook.

Civilization, on the other hand, is threatening to Miyax. For example, she struggles to fit in while living in cities, is ridiculed for holding traditional Inuit beliefs, and resists learning English and adopting modernized ways of life. Moreover, it is while living in the city that she must survive Naka’s alcoholism and Daniel’s assault, the event that prompts her to run to the wilderness alone. For these reasons, Julie of the Wolves also alters the human-versus-nature plot to also include elements of a human-versus-civilization story. Despite the danger posed by civilization, at the very end of the novel, Miyax decides to return to it. Above all, Julie of the Wolves suggests that there is a correspondence between the environment and Miyax’s character.

Indigenous Wisdom and Traditions

Julie of the Wolves celebrates Miyax and her great pride in the traditional culture and knowledge of the Alaska Indigenous peoples. A strong contrast is drawn between traditional ways and civilized life. Miyax sees Inuit ways as authentic, wise, and harmonious, while viewing civilization as corrupted, dangerous, and lacking in respect for nature.

The time spent with Kapugen in a seal camp seems like the happiest and most balanced part of Miyax’s life. The narrator notes “the years at seal camp were infinitely good” (76), and it is there that she gains valuable insight into Inuit knowledge and traditions, like the Celebration of the Bladder Feast. Later, Miyax applies the knowledge she has gained, realizing that the North Star can guide her, and berry bushes “bend under the polar wind and point to the south” (10). The knowledge also equips her for survival on the tundra, such as knowing how to dig a cellar in the frozen ground to store her food.

Yet Miyax’s relationship with the wisdom of Indigenous Alaskans is not only a matter of applying knowledge but also of adopting a worldview. She holds a deeply respectful, even ecological point of view. For instance, her knowledge tells her that with “the passing of the lemmings” (14), the grass has grown high, the caribou numbers increase, and the population of wolves grows in turn. Miyax also carries indigenous wisdom with her spiritually, such as her belief in the “I’noGo tied” or “house of the spirits” totems (85).

In the face of modernized, Westernized civilization, Miyax is devoted to celebrating and preserving Indigenous wisdom and traditions, even though she struggles to fit in and is made fun of for some of her beliefs. She imagines that she can live “as an Eskimo […] carve and sew and trap” and “live with the rhythm of the beasts and the land” (169). Even though she decides at the very end of the novel to return to Kapugen and civilization, she is likely to maintain pride in her culture.

Independence Versus Solidarity

Julie of the Wolves explores the concept of independence as both a positive quality and a potential problem. The narrative describes multiple characters who exemplify the trait of independence. By noting the implications of independence for these characters, the novel implies that although independence is an admirable and even necessary trait, it is best tempered with an appreciation for others, their strengths, and what can be achieved by bonding together.

Miyax represents positive examples of independence. Alone on the desolate North Slope of Alaska, she is determined to survive. She applies her knowledge of Inuit wisdom, lessons learned from her father, and her own ingenuity to survive in a harsh landscape. During her time among civilization, Miyax is equally independent. As a child, she must live with her Aunt Martha and go to school. She runs into some challenges, such as when she throws her i’noGo tied away after two girls mock her for believing in totems. Yet overall, she accepts that she is different from others and doesn’t change who she is to fit in among them. Likewise, she draws on her independence to escape the dangerous situation posed by Naka’s alcoholism and Daniel’s assault on her. Even though this requires resolve and means a difficult life in the wilderness, Miyax rises to the challenge.

Kapugen and Jello, on the other hand, are examples of how independence can lead characters astray. Kapugen is initially characterized as a highly respected hunter with a superior knowledge of Indigenous Inuit wisdom. He is thought to have died while boldly venturing out alone on a seal hunt, an assumption that fits with the perception of him as an independent man. When it is later revealed that he did not die but simply escaped to civilized society, leaving his culture and daughter behind, his act represents selfishness rather than independence. Jello is characterized in a similar way. Miyax notices that something different about him makes him a “lone wolf” (68). Jello spends time apart from the pack, acting aloof. He acts independently when he attacks Miyax’s camp and steals from her.

Jello’s actions show that he acts alone for selfish purposes rather than contributing to the wolf pack as a group. Amaroq then kills Jello, punishing his selfish independence with death. In that moment, Miyax realizes how much she depends on the pack. They already aided her by supplying her with food, but when Amaroq punishes Jello, Miyax recovers her backpack and valuable supplies. The lesson implied in this is that the group provides strength, care, and protection that are necessary complements to positive versions of independence. When Miyax later cares for Kapu after wolf hunters injure him, she shows solidarity with the wolf pack by nursing the wolf back to health.