Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
"Julie of the Wolves" is a novel by Jean Craighead George that tells the story of a young Eskimo girl named Miyax, who embarks on a journey of survival and self-discovery in the harsh Arctic tundra of Alaska. After her father, Kapugen, is believed to be dead, Miyax finds herself in an unhappy marriage and decides to escape toward San Francisco. However, she soon becomes lost and must rely on her knowledge of nature and her connections with a wolf pack to survive. Throughout her journey, she learns important lessons about independence, resilience, and the intricate relationship between humans and nature.
The novel is noted for its authentic portrayal of Eskimo culture and the Arctic landscape, earning critical acclaim and several awards, including the Newbery Medal in 1973. It explores themes of cultural identity, the clash between traditional ways of life and modern influences, and the often-misunderstood nature of wolves. "Julie of the Wolves" resonates with readers of all ages, offering a compelling adventure while also delving into deeper societal issues. Overall, it is a poignant reflection on survival, belonging, and the complexities of growing up in a changing world.
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Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
First published: 1972; illustrated
Type of work: Adventure tale
Themes: Nature and animals
Time of work: The late twentieth century
Recommended Ages: 10-13
Locale: Alaska
Principal Characters:
Julie (Miyax) , a thirteen-year-old Eskimo girl who flees her arranged marriage and must survive on the Arctic tundraKapugen , Julie’s father, who teaches her Eskimo waysAmaroq , the leader of the pack of wolvesKapu , a playful, loyal wolf Julie names for her father; he becomes the leader after Amaroq’s deathJello , a lone wolf, shunned by the wolf packAunt Martha , the relative with whom Julie lives in Mekoryuk while attending schoolTornait , a lost bird that comes to Julie’s igloo
The Story
Miyax is happy living with her father, Kapugen, in a seal camp in Alaska. They fish together, and he teaches her Eskimo ways. When she is nine years old, he takes her to live with Aunt Martha in Mekoryuk, because she must attend school. He tells her that if she is unhappy, at age thirteen she is free to leave to be married to his friend Naka’s son, Daniel, who lives in Barrow. She later comes to believe that her father is dead. While at Aunt Martha’s she writes to a pen pal named Amy in San Francisco and yearns to see the city. When at thirteen Miyax is married to Daniel and he abuses her, she decides to leave Barrow and walk toward San Francisco. She takes with her a backpack filled with utensils and food for a week. On her way to Point Hope, where she plans to take a ship to San Francisco, she becomes lost on the Arctic tundra.
Miyax soon realizes that the scant vegetation of the tundra will not sustain her. Alone and hungry, she recalls that Kapugen taught her that wolves will help a starving human. She watches a wolf family, learning their habits and giving them names. The head of the pack she calls Amaroq. To make him her leader, she knows that she must nuzzle him under his chin, a way she has seen other wolves pay him homage. At last she is successful, and the bond between human and wolf begins. The playful Kapu regurgitates food for her that she then cooks in her pot. Amaroq leads her to the wolf den, and she takes her share of a caribou kill.
Miyax realizes, however, that she cannot be entirely dependent on the wolves. She hunts owlets, baby weasels, and buntings. She makes a compass by observing the direction the migrating terns fly, makes a bone into a comb and a weapon from an antler, and challenges a wolverine for a rabbit. She uses all of nature at her command. Fall turns to winter.
An oil drum tells her that she is nearing civilization, and her worst fear is realized. The loyal wolf pack is in danger because of a bounty on wolves. Amaroq is killed by men shooting from an airplane, and Kapu is wounded. Miyax nurses him back to health so that he can become the pack’s leader. Having carved a totem of Amaroq, she places it on his body so his spirit can enter her. Finally she bids the pack good-bye, relieved to know that Kapu is able to lead.
A couple who find her igloo tell her that Kapugen is alive in nearby Kangik. There she reunites with her father, who has married a white woman and lives amid modern conveniences. At first Miyax is so disillusioned that she leaves, determined to live the life of the Eskimo. With the death of Tornait, a bird Julie has befriended, it is as if her dreams of the Eskimo life die, too. She returns to Kangik and Kapugen.
Context
Julie of the Wolves won the coveted Newbery Medal in 1973. It was also a National Book Award finalist and winner of the Jugend Prize in Germany and the Silver Skate Award in The Netherlands. The Children’s Literature Association chose it as one of the all-time-best children’s books. The author’s Newbery acceptance speech offers rich information about the background for the book and her own experience in Alaska.
George’s fascination and knowledgeable experience with animals and natural history in general provides a focus for many other books. In My Side of the Mountain (1959), a Newbery Honor Book, Sam Gribley survives in a wilderness not far from home. He finds and prepares food, builds a home, and trains a falcon. Young June Pritchard trains a sparrow hawk in The Summer of the Falcon (1962); ocean creatures respond to various seasons in Spring Comes to the Ocean (1965). In Coyote in Manhattan (1968), a coyote makes a home in Central Park. In Who Really Killed Cock Robin? An Ecological Mystery (1971), adolescents try to find out who killed the town mascot.
Critics have testified to the success of Julie of the Wolves, particularly in its authentic, detailed descriptions of the Eskimo way of life and the landscape of the Arctic tundra. The book has been compared to Scott O’Dell’s Island of the Blue Dolphins (1960), another survival story, but one set on an island. It has been seen as portraying the death of an entire culture. Most mention the remarkable insights provided about the often-misunderstood nature of wolves.
Julie of the Wolves has appealed to both male and female readers. It presents good adventure, a young girl’s maturation, and the larger issue of the split identity of the Eskimo culture. This theme of a culture caught between the old traditions and the influence of the white world is a recurring one in much of the literature about the North American Indian.