New Jersey Shore

In "Doe Season" the author David Michael Kaplan shows a girl's initiation from a childhood into adulthood. It shows becoming a girl as a rite of passage. The author uses many symbols through out the story to reveal Andy's discovery of her own identity.

In the beginning of the story Andy remembers a trip she took with her family to the New Jersey Shore. The ocean is something that frightens her and the smell makes her think of death. At one point Andy's mom's swimsuit top came off because of the waves in the ocean. Andy was her mom's breasts swinging freely and looked around in embarrassment. The author uses this memory as a pre conscious imitation to Andy what she will be--a woman. At this point Andy is not ready to accept or value the fact that it is something that will happen.

When Andy spots the doe her father tells her that she can take the shot since she spotted it. Charlie say's to Andy, "That's right, she can't...She's not old enough and she don't have a license even if she was" (pg434)! Charlie doesn't thinks that because she is a girl she is incapable of making the shot. After Andy took the shot everyone thought the doe was dead. Once they noticed the deer was alive Charlie was the first one to make Andy feel terrible for what she had done. Charlie said, "Dead hell! Clean shot, my ass" (pg345)! It was at this point that Andy first felt a bit of remorse for what she had done. Andy wanted to forget about what happened because she didn't want to think of the deer in pain. She just wished that is was dead and out of its misery. Andy was traumatized after the shooting. She didn't really want to kill it.