Runt

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of animal death.

When King sees Runt for the first time in Chapter 1, he assumes that the pup will not survive the world’s harshness because “only the strongest, the best, the most intelligent and competent survive[]” (5). This assertion paraphrases the concept of survival of the fittest that drives Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection. The wolves must survive in a harsh and dangerous environment, and King’s experience has taught him that only the strong survive. The lesson that he must learn over the course of the novel—with Runt’s help—is that strength takes many forms, not all of them physical. 

As a pup trying to prove himself, Runt makes mistakes, most notably the confrontation with the porcupine that leads to Thinker’s death. However, this experience leads Runt to the humans, who save him and help him realize that survival sometimes depends on making difficult decisions. By not killing him, the humans teach Runt that he is in control of his choices and that he can use those choices to survive. At the end of the book, Runt uses this lesson to call his family, rather than trying to kill the moose on his own—something he knows he cannot do.