Wolf v. Cow

The wolf, as a symbol in “The Crossing”, in my interpretation, is that of an animal that is ruthless in its pursuit and smart in its existence. I was intrigued when reading about the wolf’s sporadic yet somehow perfectly orchestrated way of traveling about the area. At times I felt like the wolf was smarter than those hunting “her”.

In the text it refers to the way the wolf wonders about in search of food and survival in a way that is beautiful and can almost be seen as humanistic- if that’s a word. I was overwhelmed by compassion by the part of the story talking about the wolfs persistence to stay with her fellow kind. Not wanting to desert her kind under any circumstance. Only after being lashed by one of her own did she turn and leave. The wolf’s main anger with the cows is their laziness their ignorance. The text reads, “The wolves in that country had been killing cattle for a long time but the ignorance of the animals was a puzzle to them” (25). The text goes on to talk about the almost seeming revenge or vendetta the wolves have for cattle. In my opinion this “violation of an old order” is the cow’s inability to fight for their lives, to be strong in their existence. As if the laziness of this species infuriates the being of the wolf. I believe in their killing this symbol of weakness and laziness they are taking some revenge for the struggle they go through as a species. And I could be way off here, but it’s a beauty that revolves in the circle of life. Revenge, jealousy, and the need to settle the score even when the one being penalized has no direct control of the perpetrators situation.

In my opinion that’s the beauty of the animalistic way. I will conclude with this beautiful explanation “But which cannot be held never be held and is no flower but is swift and a huntress and the wind itself is in terror of it and the world cannot lose it” (127).