Winterdance Gary Paulsen Quotes

The biographical novel Winterdance, written by Gary Paulsen, composed in 1994, is based on the author’s experiences in both training for and running in the Iditarod dog sled race, held in Alaska, in obscure and extreme conditions where your eyeballs could potentially freeze. An important setting in the novel is the Iditarod dog sled race as throughout the novel, it helps me understand a key character - Gary Paulsen, since he explores the idea of how experiences can change your understanding on life and the significance of loyalty

Gary Paulsen beautifully illustrates the extraordinary setting of the Iditarod dog sled in the novel; Winterdance, to portray and help us understand the key character - him - and his abstraction, perspectives, observations

An example of this is the harsh conditions of malnutrition and hunger as they were on a shortage of food to be unable to feed all mushers till they were at least famished. Paulsen had to endure the harsh cold of the Alaskan snow and starvation to the point where he could not afford to skip his dinner when it had fallen into a pile of slump meat - which is essentially grounded up discarded cow foetuses. It shows that there is no classes or positions between him and his dogs due to the fact that he not only was willing to eat ground up cow foetuses, it's suggested that he had even went - possibly even transcended, the part what makes one human and thought dog before he had even eaten dog food and for any of that to happen. In this setting and experience he went through, also depicts his how he believes that mentally, he and the dogs are equal and one does not have a high

An example of this is the instance of when a man Paulsen refers to as “donut man”, began to brutalise his sled dogs out of frustration and anger due to the extreme conditions of the Alaskan Iditarod dog race and his dogs, disobeying his orders, to only end up killing one of his dogs; with punches and kicks to murder with full intent. It caused such a shock to Paulsen to the point where he had felt his blood boiling and hands shiver out of pure anguish of this murderer, that was standing right before his very eyes, and was on the verge of taking the man’s life so he could repent in hell. It shows that it was extremely traumatic to see a man violate a relationship with a dog which rarely ever contravene and reciprocate as it takes a tremendous amount of effort to deteriorate mentally and emotionally, despite the fact that they’re being abused by the one they love, and some would even continue loving till their last breath, which was the case of that man’s dog who he had beaten. Paulsen was often aggravated at his dogs when they suddenly come to a halt and lie down on all fours, however, understood that dogs too, have a mind of their own. It portrays that Paulsen would never even dream in hell to beat his dogs out of frustration or