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But perhaps more than his body was the change in his mind, or in the way he was—was becoming. I am not the same, he thought. I see, I hear differently.
By necessity, Brian’s stint in the wild makes him stronger, more patient, and more observant. Brian would not survive in the wild without adjusting to his new environment’s needs. In Chapter 11, he realizes the change in his body as well as his mind after he makes a routine for his camp. He now experiences the world differently, as his senses are heightened and paired with an intuitive knowledge of nature. His body has not only transformed, but his seeing, hearing, and knowing have deepened.
Brian knew the wolf for what it was—another part of the woods, another part of all of it . . . He knew the wolf now, as the wolf knew him, and he nodded to it, nodded and smiled . . . the Brian that stood and watched the wolves move away and nodded to them was completely changed.
Brian learns to see himself as part of nature. When he encounters a wolf in Chapter 13, Brian accepts it as something that belongs there in the wild, but Brian also feels that he belongs. This acceptance allows him to treat the natural world and even himself with mature reverence. Because Brian has now lived in the forest for longer than he planned, he can identify with the wild existence of the wolves. Instead of becoming fearful, he extends acknowledgment and appreciation of their existence.
