Devil Deer Summary (Opt. English: Class12)

Devil Deer

- Rudol Anaya

The story "Devil Deer” written by an American writer Rudolf Anaya is about hunting culture in Pueblo community in America, where a young hunter kills a malformed deer. The story presents how ecological decline caused by humans and laboratories affect negative impacts on the natural and environment and the animals living there.

The story takes place in the autumn season, which is also called the deer hunting season. But the number of deer is decreasing year by year due to many hunters. In the story, the protagonist of the story, Cruz plans to go hunting with his friend Joe, but Joe is unable to go with him due to the injury of his leg. Then Cruz goes to the Black Ridge (Forest) where the Los Alamos Laboratory is located though it is difficult to go and hunt there. Although there is the danger of hunting in the area, Cruz spends the night there keeping a fetish stone (a stone that is believed to hold a magical power)  in his bag. While sleeping there, a deformed bear comes to his dream and tells him to go away from there. The bear has twisted paws and deformed face, and it is dropping saliva from its mouth. So, the dream makes him surprised.

Next morning, Cruz hears something breathing in pain, and after some time he sees a deformed and blind buck (male deer) inside the area of the Los Alamos Laboratory. He sees the buck inside the fence and kills it. The buck’s legs are burnt, its hair on the antlers looks shabby due to a skin disease and its eyes are covered with blood. After this, he takes the buck with him to show his people. When he reaches home, dogs bark at him and people look him strangely from windows. At first, his friend Joe joins him. When they see the deer, they become frightened. They call the deer ‘Devil Deer’ because they have never seen such an ugly and deformed deer. At last, Cruz is taken to his house, and the deer is taken by the old people of the village for burning it because they want to perform a ritual in order to be free from the sin that Cruz has committed by killing the deer inside the fence of the laboratory.