Nature and Nurture: The Ethical Dilemma of Trapping

Nature ethics is explored in the children’s picture book Prize in the Snow. A young, nature-loving boy admires his older brother for his animal tracking and trapping abilities and sets out to become an expert. Unlike his brother, the boy is a novice and goes about trapping with a very rudimentary trap and classic bait. He treks into the snowy woods with a box, a carrot, and a long string, which, with the addition of a stick, become a carefully balanced and patiently manned trap for unsuspecting small mammals.

The boy waits patiently while looking forward to the respect he imagines receiving from his brother when he has caught his prize. Finally, a creature comes – but as it’s the dead of winter, the rabbit is slow and thin, starving due to lack of food amidst all the snow. Instead of causing excitement and action, seeing the rabbit makes the boy stop and think. Is it fair to bait and catch a starving animal? Is his role in the landscape really to trap animals purely for sport, or could he perhaps serve another purpose? This short, sweet story includes plenty of depth and catalyzes discussion of nature ethics via human interaction with the landscape around us.

Delving Deeper into Nature Ethics with Guided Discussion Questions

Prize in the Snow is a short, sweet story appropriate for readers of most any age. Additionally, it serves as a catalyst for discussion of human interaction with the landscape around us and, in particular, the way we regard wild creatures.

• What qualities does the boy admire in his brother? Why do you think he values these qualities?
• Based on his approach to trapping, do you think that the boy is really ready to trap his first animal? Explain.
• How does the boy feel when he first realizes an animal is coming? Is he perhaps feeling multiple emotions?
• How do the boy’s feelings change when he realizes the condition that the rabbit is in? What might this tell you about him as a character?
• Ultimately, the boy lets the rabbit eat and leave. Why did he make this decision? What does this tell you about how he regards the natural world?
• What do you think the boy’s brother will say about his decision? Explain.
• Does the boy change his attitude about trapping? What makes you think that way?
• What would you do if you were in the boy’s position?