The Law of Life

“Old Koskoosh listened greedily.” 

The above sentence, which is the first in the story, is significant in terms of both theme and characterization. In addition to hinting at Koskoosh’s blindness, the description of him “listening greedily” implies that there is something excessive or selfish about Koskoosh’s interest in the goings-on of the camp. As the story progresses, it becomes clear that—for a people who exist on the edge of survival—the continued presence of an elderly and sickly man like Koskoosh is an unaffordable drain on communal resources; the correct thing to do, according to this line of thinking, is to sacrifice oneself for the good of the group. This is of course what Koskoosh does, but his eagerness to absorb whatever he can of what’s happening around him speaks to an instinctive hunger for life that Koskoosh can’t entirely suppress.

“The long trail waited while the short day refused to linger. Life called [Sit-cum-to-ha], and the duties of life, not death.” 

Koskoosh is accepting not only of his own death, but also of the relative indifference of others towards it. Although he at times finds himself wishing his granddaughter had taken more care to stockpile wood for him, he sees her actions as an inevitable side effect of her youth. For a young woman like