Discuss the role of setting in the novel. How does setting shape the experiences of Crabbe and other important characters? How does Crabbe’s experience in Toronto differ from his experience in the wilderness? What accounts for those differences?

Crabbe is an example of a coming-of-age story, a narrative in which the reader has the opportunity to see a character go from being a child to being an adult. Discuss Crabbe’s transformation over the course of the novel. What is he like before he matures? What challenges does he have to overcome to become an adult, and how does he overcome them? What is he like after he matures?

How does the author portray nature in the novel? How do different characters react to and interact with nature? What point is Bell making about the relationship between humanity and nature?