SA reads discussion

Hi everybody!
Tjis is the last week of Kringe in n Bos. Please feel free to join previous discussions if you've fallen behind.

Oupoot dies. Tragic. Sad. I cried like I did reading Jock.

Why? Totally unnecessarily. Saul also asked this question from God.

What is evident is Saul's presence in the forest. When Oupoot's killers saw him coming, they are surprised and scared.

And Saul discovers that Maska was right all along. Oupoot was his animal-brother. Almost impossible to believe that such a magnificent animal should choose one meagre human as a human soulmate. And now, after everything, and with Oupoot dead, Saul can approach the beast. And his whole life becomes clear to him: Saul wonders whether Oupoot's death can be linked to his giving up on his dreams, hopes and plans.

Saul returns to Meulbos which was the home of his hermit's life for so long. I discovers what has happened to his beloved, sacred piece of the forest. Now the forest is destroyed, but almost nothing is left of the town the diggers built with so much bravado. Such a waste!

And then a happy ending. We know what will happen to Saul after the end of the book. The ending creates finality and the reader is satisfied. Saul will protect what is left of Oupoot and he will marry Kate and have children and his legacy will live on. Despite everything, Saul is content (I woulnt say happy just yet). He is where he belongs.