Tending the Heart of Virtue: How Classic Stories Awaken a Child's Moral Imagination

by Vigen Guroian

Salten introduces the theme of knowing how to be alone early in the story, and throughout he explores its importance for survival in the woods. In one sense being alone is what any young buck or doe must learn in order to mature. It is a part and parcel of personal autonomy, and it necessitates the courage and confidence to successfully live apart from the mother. This is a precondition for mating and perpetuation of the species. Salten is a careful observer of the life and behavior of deer. Yet he is not a naturalist who records the animals’ life cycle. He is a moralist who uses his knowledge of nature to tell a moral tale. In his book knowing how to be alone has ethical and spiritual significance.