Open Season

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Joe’s determination to adhere to the responsibilities of his game warden position brings him into conflict with characters in the book who want him to drop his investigation into the Miller’s weasel. Have you ever been in a situation where you received pushback for doing what you thought was the right thing? Do you think Joe was justified in feeling frustrated by those who refused to investigate with the same rigor as himself?

2. Sheridan initially revels in her secret about the weasels in the woodpile, but after Wacey’s threats, she becomes burdened by her deception. Have you ever kept a secret that changed the way you behaved? How does this experience inform your understanding of Sheridan’s internal conflict?

3. Joe spends considerable time projecting his own insecurities onto his family, which results in a warped perception of their expectations. Recall a time when your own fears made you misjudge a person or a situation. Did this experience create conflict in your relationship? How did you overcome these fears? How does your experience reflect Joe’s internal conflict?

4. The text presents several different perspectives on environmental conservation through its depiction of the Miller’s weasels. Which character’s perspective best reflects your own views on conservation?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. Analyze how the book reflects current conflicts between environmental preservation and economic growth. Discuss recent examples where economic opportunities were placed above potential environmental impacts, or the converse, where environmental protection prevented economic growth.

2. Although Twelve Sleep County is a fictional region, Saddlestring is a real rural town in northern Wyoming. How does the text’s depiction of Saddlestring’s economic difficulties and infiltration by external corporations connect to contemporary conversations about gentrification and urbanization?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Trace Joe’s growth and character development throughout the text. In what ways does he change, and in what ways does he stay the same? What events prompt his changes? What does Joe learn about himself and his family as a result of his personal epiphanies?

2. Consider the symbol of Vern’s shadow. How does shadow imagery reflect Vern’s relationship with Joe and with the people of Twelve Sleep County? Does shadow imagery appear anywhere else in the text to signify influence and dominance?

3. Wacey and Joe act as foil characters in the text because of their proximity in the same profession. Juxtapose the two characters: How do Wacey and Joe amplify certain characteristics in the other? What traits or qualities does one man have that highlight a deficiency in the other?

4. Discuss the novel’s exploration of family. How does Joe’s family grow and change throughout the novel? What role do they play in his life and work? Consider his relationships with both Marybeth and his daughters.