The Wall

Lynx is the companion and guide of the protagonist, becoming more than a pet to her. Throughout The Wall, the protagonist forges strong bonds with the animals around her, perceiving their personalities and treating them as though they were her family. Lynx shares a particularly strong connection with the protagonist, spending all of his time with her and reflecting her emotions back at her: “Lynx was closest to me, and soon he wasn’t just my dog, but my friend; my only friend in a world of troubles and loneliness. He understood everything I said, knew whether I was sad or cheerful and tried, in his simple way, to comfort me” (40). 

As a dog, Lynx is a static character, never wavering in his devotion to the protagonist, constantly providing emotional support. He is sensitive to her moods, often reacting to them even before she fully understands her own emotions. He also helps her in her daily life by being an extra-sensitive set of eyes and ears. His devotion to her is at the heart of their connection, and demonstrates a faithfulness unfamiliar to the protagonist. Whereas the protagonist often reflects on the flawed conditions of her human relationships in her past life, she never questions her connection with Lynx. Unlike the protagonist’s daughters, who become strangers to her at an early age, Lynx never strays from her side or struggles to empathize with her. When she observes the stillness and decay occurring on the other side of the wall, she grows sad, and Lynx, at her side, responds to her with a similar emotion. 

Lynx’s connection to the protagonist represents a new type of relationship in her life. The protagonist finds that Lynx’s devotion is not tied to any familial relationship, or need to gain something from her. Instead, he loves her for no other reason than for herself.

Bella is a cow that the protagonist finds during her first days within the wall and begins to care for her. Like Lynx, Bella represents a simpler relationship for the protagonist, though it is one that is more symbiotic. The protagonist helps Bella by providing food, shelter, and milking her while Bella provides the protagonist with milk. 

Bella is also a positive influence on the protagonist because of her simplicity and kindness: “Bella was by nature agreeable and even-tempered and never caused me the slightest trouble, and her son was at that time a happy and impetuous calf” (146). Bella is in many ways a foil to the protagonist. The protagonist watches Bella become a mother, and notices that Bella’s relationship with the calf differs greatly from her own with her daughters. Bella and the calf are close, and support one another as he grows. Bella is protective but not burdened by Bull, and takes joy in being with him. The protagonist, however, struggled to maintain her relationships with her daughters and feels ambivalent about how motherhood impacted her identity.

Bella is also a foil to the protagonist because while the protagonist constantly worries about the survival of herself and her animals, Bella remains in the present. At times, the protagonist craves this simplicity, valuing how Bella can appreciate the present moment: 

Sometimes when I watched Bella and Bull I was glad they had no foreboding of the long winter in the byre. They knew only the present, the tender grass, the spread of the meadow, the warm air caressing their flanks, and the moonlight that fell on their bed at night (161). 

Bella’s attitude is what the protagonist strives for: As she tries to connect more with nature, the protagonist finds moments of peace and lives for the moment.

Unlike Bella, the cat acts more like a mirror to the protagonist, interacting with the world in a more familiar way. Whereas Bella is content to be confined, fed, and provided for, the cat insists on her freedom, coming and going as she pleases and withholding praise and affection. The protagonist has a profound respect for the cat, admiring her commitment to freedom and ability to survive: “The cat was entirely different, a brave, hard-nosed animal that I respected and admired, but one who always insisted on her freedom” (40). 

The cat and the protagonist share a certain kinship because of the similarities in their lives. The cat must survive in the forest, being alert and strong, just as the protagonist must survive within the wall, in a life wholly new to her. Additionally, the cat offers a representation of motherhood that contradicts Bella’s. When the cat gives birth to kittens, she watches over them until they learn the basics of survival, and then largely ignores them. This is similar to how the protagonist remembers motherhood, of raising her daughters and then watching them slowly separate from her. This connection brings the cat and the protagonist close together, though they maintain a strong independence from each other.

When the protagonist moves herself and the animals to different locations across the seasons, the cat refuses to join them, remaining at the lodge year-round. At first, the protagonist is upset, worrying about the cat on her own, but comes to respect the cat’s desire for freedom, once again creating a bond between them. As the protagonist thinks of the cat’s freedom, she makes the connection that it is like her own as well: “The cat and I were made of the same stuff, and we were in the same boat, drifting with all living things toward the great dark rapids” (167). The protagonist thus sees the cat’s need for freedom as similar to her own need for isolation. Unlike Lynx and Bella, who depend on the protagonist to survive, the cat does not need anyone, just as the protagonist is learning within the bounds of the wall that she does not need anyone either.

Pearl is the daughter of the cat and a part of the first litter the cat delivers during the protagonist’s isolation. Pearl is unlike her mother in many ways. She is gentle and innocent, resembling an Angora cat. She is fluffy, white and primarily an indoor cat that the protagonist worries about constantly, believing she cannot survive without protection. 

Pearl is much more of a pet than any of the other animals in the protagonist’s life, slow to explore her instincts and in need of attention: “She had come home with a trout in her mouth, and lain down to have a dinner under the veranda. She was proud and pleased about her first success, and I had to praise and stroke her” (90). Pearl’s hunt results in praise from the protagonist, rather than merely a meal, distinguishing her from her more survival-oriented mother.

Pearl dies soon after she is born, attacked by something in the wild. Her death, and her legacy, embody the indifference of nature to the protagonist. Despite her many happy memories and love for Pearl, the protagonist cannot remember Pearl without seeing her demise: “Whenever I think of her, I rarely see her sitting on the bench in her white glory staring at the little blue butterflies. I generally see her as a pathetic, bloodstained pelt, her eyes half open, broken, her pink tongue gripped between her teeth” (100). Pearl was an innocent cat, symbolized not only by her behavior but also her pure white coat, and therefore at odds with the world around them within the wall. Pearl is a reminder to the protagonist of the new world she lives in, in which the legacy of a more comfortable society fades, replaced by the power and danger of nature and the need for survival.

Tiger is the surviving kitten from the cat’s second litter, and he is a foil to his half-sister Pearl. Whereas Pearl was gentle and innocent, Tiger is a mischievous rascal. He constantly wants to play and drives his mother away, leaving the protagonist as the focus of his affections. Also unlike Pearl, Tiger’s instincts are constantly present, and he frequently simulates hunting, though he shows restraint toward the protagonist: “[H]e thought my ankles were big white mice that he wanted to put out of their misery. Of course it was all show; he bit and scratched, purring wildly, but without scratching my skin” (143). Tiger is rambunctious, and plays with the protagonist, though his affection for her keeps him from actually hurting her. Like Pearl, he earns the protagonist’s affection, and the two form a strong relationship, making Tiger’s disappearance all the more painful.

Tiger’s youthful and energetic nature represents the duality of survival on the physical and emotional level that the protagonist experiences. He is instinctual, and his hunting games prove that he can survive. He does not actually hurt the protagonist because he loves her, and feels a deep connection to her: “Everything was designed to show that he, a proud and clever predator, could terrify a stupid and ridiculous human being. But as the stupid human being was also the agreeable and beloved human being, she didn’t get eaten, but was licked tenderly” (171). Tiger’s attitude closely resembles the protagonist’s own struggles with survival. On one level, she knows that they only way to survive is to provide food and shelter, and yet, at times struggles to find a reason to survive. Ultimately, the animals around her become the inspiration for her to continue. As with Tiger, she strives for survival while fostering the relationships around her.

Bull is the son of Bella and like his mother, is only aware of the present in front of him. When he begins to mature and becomes more rambunctious, especially around Bella, the only female cow, the protagonist has to move him. He is unhappy and does not understand why he must be separated from Bella: “He stood, with his great head sadly bowed, staring dumbly in front of him, and put up with it all. He hadn’t broken anything; he was just being punished for being fully grown” (194). As the protagonist leads Bull away, she sees his confusion and realizes that he has not done anything wrong, and is instead being punished for her perception of what he could do. This reflects her own meditations on her path in life, determined by the expectations of others. Just as gender roles were used to shape her life as a mother and wife, so too do these roles impact the life of Bull.

Despite his confusion at being moved, Bull does not hold a grudge against the protagonist, and does not let anything impact how he interacts with her or the nature around them. Unlike the protagonist, Bull can spend his days enjoying what is around him: “Bull occupied himself solely with stuffing as much sweet grass as possible into his big, strong body, dozing in the sun or flying across the meadows at a gallop” (221). Like Bella, Bull lives a life defined by the simple pleasures around him. He also shows affection toward the protagonist, demonstrating the unique dynamic she cultivates with her animals: “Sometimes he would lay his head heavily on my shoulder and snuffle with contentment when I scratched his forehead” (221). The protagonist cares for the animals around her because she feels that it is the right thing to do. She values them for being alive, and Bull and Bella particularly appreciate this, demonstrating a faith in and attachment to her that she feels was largely missing from her relationship with her daughters.