Perseverance
One theme from this book is perseverance. Without it, none of what Russel did would have been possible.How would he have been able to kill the huge polar bear, or even be able to bear the killer cold in north Alaska? He wouldn't have been able to go on in the north Alaskan climate. But because of perseverance he was able to do all of this. He was able to eat, feed his dog, and save Nancy.
Survival
Another theme from Dogsong was survival. When you have only a bow/arrow, some dogs, and a lance, you really need to be able to survive against all odds. In addition to what he had, though, Russel had to deal with the deadly tundra biome, another great obstacle! How many people do you know could do that? Survival instincts also kept Russel alive. For instance, when the polar bear was the only food Russel could find, his instincts took over and he killed it.
