60 pages • 2 hours read
C. J. BoxOpen Season
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2001A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Literary Context: The Joe Pickett Series and Detective Fiction
Open Season is the first of 24 novels in a series that follows Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett on a sequence of adventures and mysteries. Open Season introduces key characters who appear throughout the series, particularly the Pickett family consisting of Joe, Marybeth, Sheridan, Lucy, and their foster daughter April. As a game warden, it is Joe’s duty to investigate cases that threaten the Wyoming wilderness, so many of the series’ mysteries relate to themes of environmentalism. After the conclusion of Open Season, Joe Pickett investigates cases of mutilated animals, anti-government conspiracies, deaths of prominent environmentalists, eco-terrorism, and land ownership wars. Throughout the series, Joe’s position as game warden frequently comes under threat, and the Pickett family faces danger and violence at the hands of those who seek revenge against Joe. These challenges test Joe’s principles and resolute morality, but he perseveres through his hardships to do what he believes is right and brings wrongdoers to justice.
The Joe Pickett series joins a long history of detective fiction series that follow a central investigator figure. Edgar Allen Poe’s character C. Auguste Dupin is often considered the first recurring detective in fiction: First introduced in The Murders in the Rue Morgue, he also appears in two other stories, including The Purloined Letter. One of the most famous literary detective figures is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, who was first introduced in A Study In Scarlet and then appeared in three other novels and 56 short stories. Another famous detective character is Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot, who appears in two plays, 51 short stories, and 33 novels, including Murder on the Orient Express, which has multiple film adaptations.
The central character in the genre of detective fiction usually falls into one of four categories: the amateur detective, the private detective, the police detective, or the specialist. Joe Pickett’s character straddles the line between the amateur and police detective. As a government employee, he has higher access to official investigations than an outsider would, but like an amateur, it’s his innate curiosity and desire for justice that compels him to solve mysteries on his own.
Geographical Context: Wyoming and “Twelve Sleep County”
C.J. Box sets Open Season in northern Wyoming, where he grew up and continues to live. Box draws on his personal experience with the rugged terrain and extreme weather to realistically portray the vast, sprawling landscape of the state. The state of Wyoming includes both the Rocky Mountains on its western border and the Great Plains to the east. In the north, where the story is set, the Bighorn Mountains dominate the area and create a treacherous terrain of canyons, foothills, depressions, and rounded peaks. Although the named towns of Saddlestring and Cheyenne do exist, “Twelve Sleep County” is a fictional name that Box employs in his novel. The county’s name is modeled after Ten Sleep, a real town situated in the Bighorn Basin in northern Wyoming.
Throughout the novel, Joe comments on the difficulties hunters and fishermen have while navigating some of the steep, rocky topography. The harsh landscapes reflect the challenges of rural life for the townsfolk of Saddlestring, who must be resilient to survive not only the land but also the economic difficulties of the area. Wyoming’s economy has suffered in recent years due to declines in its primary industries: coal, oil, and gas. Furthermore, rural areas have experienced population decline. Joe also notes the striking shadows throughout the region, which represent the hidden dangers that threaten his principles and safety.
For Joe, this harshness makes the survival and adaptations of the Miller’s weasels all the more miraculous, which is why he is angered and saddened by their extermination. Least weasels are also classed as imperiled in Wyoming, and there are laws protecting them from trapping. This tension over the weasels exemplifies the Conflicts Between Economic Interests and Environmental Protection, which is one of the novel’s major themes. Joe’s respect for animals and the natural world contrasts with the exploitative attitudes of some townspeople and corporate interests. In this way, the setting highlights the larger tensions within the novel.
