By David Michael Kaplan Full Text ((exclusive)) | Doe Season
This is the story’s climax. She is not rejecting her father—she is rejecting the false self he helped create. The car ride home is silent. She cries, and the story ends:
The journey exposes Andy to the harsh realities of the adult world she is on the verge of entering, including the casual sexism of her male companions. She drinks coffee for the first time and is forced to endure Charlie’s taunts about her name—questioning whether she is “Andrea” or “Andy,” a girl or a boy. Doe Season By David Michael Kaplan Full Text
If you need the actual text for academic purposes (e.g., fair use for a class paper), I recommend checking your school library, a database like JSTOR or ProQuest (the story appears in The Iowa Review , Vol. 15, No. 2, 1985), or an anthology such as The Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Short Fiction . Would you like a list of similar short stories for comparison, or help tracking down a legal copy? This is the story’s climax
For educators looking to incorporate this text into their curriculum, numerous resources are available. "Doe Season" is a powerful vehicle for teaching literary devices such as symbolism, foreshadowing, and point of view. The story's ambiguous ending and complex protagonist make it ideal for class discussions and essay prompts. Online study guides offer questions on its major themes, character analyses of Andy and the supporting cast, and worksheets that examine the rich imagery of light, water, and blood. Some analysis sites provide complete lesson plans, focusing on everything from a literary analysis of the setting to a psychological reading of Andy's internal conflicts. She cries, and the story ends: The journey
The climax of the story occurs when Andy shoots a doe, but the deer escapes with a wounded leg. As they track the deer, Andy is filled with regret and doubts about his actions. Mac, however, is more concerned about the meat than the deer's suffering.
