Gray After Dark

The recurring motif of predators and prey expands on the theme of Navigating Toxic Power Dynamics. Predator imagery first appears in the narrative when Wes warns Miley that bears pose a threat to humans in the Frank Church Wilderness. Wes’s concern for her welfare and insistence that she carries bear spray underlines the existence of this potential danger. Miley’s later abduction by Fred and Hamish confirms that the wilderness is a dangerous environment while challenging the idea that wildlife poses the greatest hazard. In reality, humans prove to be the most savage predators. Consequently, Miley reflects: “I would have cried tears of joy […] for a chance to face off with a bear instead of these two monsters” (102).

Fred and Hamish are portrayed as unnatural predators. Unlike the other carnivores in the Frank Church Wilderness, they frequently kill for pleasure rather than sustenance. Their sadistic hunting methods are demonstrated when Hamish shoots a bull moose, which drowns in the lake, and when Fred maims a doe but does not kill it. The men’s abuse of power over helpless creatures is echoed in their treatment of the women they abduct.