Butcher's Crossing

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. How did you feel about the novel’s portrayals of the wilderness and frontier life? Did it match your expectations or challenge your ideas about that historical period? If so, how?

2. What themes or ideas stood out to you the most, and how did they influence your understanding of the work as a whole?

3. How does this book compare to others about Westward expansion, such as Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian, Michael Punke’s The Revenant, or Wallace Stegner’s Angle of Repose?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. How do you relate to Andrews’s desire to leave the safety of home and experience the unknown? Have you ever pursued something that challenged your comfort zone, and what did you learn about yourself in the process?

2. Consider Miller’s destructive obsession with the hunt. Have you ever single-mindedly pursued (or known someone else who pursued) a goal that had both impressive and destructive consequences?

3. How do you experience nature in your own life? Has it ever made you feel small or powerless? If so, did that experience change your perspective or priorities?

4. Think about how Andrews’s journey forces him to confront the limitations of his ideals and desires. Have you ever faced a situation where reality challenged your expectations or beliefs about yourself?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. How does the novel critique the idea of Manifest Destiny and the stereotypical myths of the frontier? In what ways does the novel challenge the glorification of westward expansion?

2. Consider the novel’s depiction of the consequences of overhunting and environmental exploitation. How does it reflect historical attitudes toward natural resources during the 19th century, and what parallels do you see in contemporary issues?

3. How does Francine embody the stereotypical female figure in Westerns as a woman on the margins in a male-dominated world?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. How does the rugged, unforgiving setting reflect Andrews’s physical and psychological journey?

2. Discuss the three-part narrative structure. What is its function in the story arc, and how does it affect the development of the novel’s themes?

3. How do Miller, Schneider, and Charley each represent different aspects of human ambition, obsession, and morality?

4. What symbolic role do the buffalo play in the story?

5. Trace Williams’s use of imagery to compare Miller to an animal. How does the language affect readers’ perception of his character and his connection to and/or moral detachment from the environment?

6. Discuss the early effect of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s work on Andrews. How do the realities of the hunt slowly dismantle his Romantic idealism?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. View the 2022 movie version of the novel starring Nicholas Cage. Discuss the casting and directorial adaptations of the novel.

2. Research how Indigenous Americans valued and respected the buffalo, using every part of the animal (including its teeth), and compare their perspective to the mass slaughter in the novel.