The narrator of this story is in his 40’s looking back at his teenage years. I think he wrote this story because of his mother. At the end of the story, he says, “And how old was I then? Sixteen. Sixteen is young, but it can also be a grown man. I am forty-one years old now, and I think about that time without regret, though my mother and I never talked in that way again, and I have not heard her voice now in a long, long time.” (page 235) He mentioned somewhere in the story that he seemed to not know his mother all that well. However, I think he still loved her very much because he constantly looked back at the car when he and Glen went hunting.
The narrator speaks throughout the story, however, he is thinking about the past. He is writing in a different time of his life, so I’m not sure if this would be considered speaking or thinking. I also think that this story was a reflection. The narrator seemed to be reflecting on all of his relationships (with his mother, with Glen, with his father). However, I think the most important person in his life was his mother. The tone set by the narrator was a mix of inquisitiveness, tenderness, and possibly anger. In this story, I saw themes of loneliness, fear, love, and a sense of closure at the end.