The Revenant
Michael Punke, 2002
Picador
272 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781250072689
Summary
Punke's novel opens in 1823, two decades after the trailblazing expedition of Lewis and Clark, when thirty-six-year-old Hugh Glass joins the Rocky Mountain Fur Co. on a venture into perilous, unexplored territory.
A seasoned frontiersman, Glass is scouting ahead of the main troop when he is attacked and savagely mauled by a grizzly bear. His wounds are grievous—scalp nearly torn off, back deeply lacerated, throat clawed open—and he is unconscious when his fellow trappers find him.
Though they wait for Glass's death, he is still drawing breath three days later.
Facing hostile territory and the press of winter, the expeditions captain pays two volunteers—John Fitzgerald, a ruthless mercenary, and young Jim Bridger, the future "King of the Moutain Men"—to stay behind and bury Glass when his time comes. But the fidelity of these volunteers proves short-lived.
When Indians approach their camp, Fitzgerald and Bridger abandon Glass. Worse yet, they rob the wounded man of his rifle and knife, even his flint and steel—the very things that might have given him a chance on his own. Deserted, defenseless, and furious, Glass vows his survival. And his revenge. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—December 7, 1964
• Where—Torrington, Wyoming, USA
• Education—B.A., Georgetown University; J.D., Cornell University
• Currently—lives in Missoula, Montana
Michael Punke is a writer, novelist, professor, policy analyst, policy consultant, attorney and currently the Deputy United States Trade Representative and US Ambassador to the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland.
He is best known for writing The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge (2002), which was adapted into film in 2015, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy.
Early life and education
The son of Butch Punke, a high school biology teacher and Marilyn Punke, Michael Punke grew up in Torrington, Wyoming with a younger brother named Tim and a sister named Amy, where they all engaged in various outdoor activities in the wilderness like fishing, hunting, hiking, shooting, and mountain biking
As a teenager, he spent at least three summers working at the Fort Laramie National Historic Site working as a "living history interpreter." He was also a debate team champion in high school, which he graduated early from to attend the University of Massachusetts Amherst, later transferring to George Washington University, where he graduated with a degree in International Affairs. He later attended and received his law degree from Cornell Law School, where he focused on trade law. He was elected Editor-in-Chief of the Cornell International Law Journal.
Career
After receiving his law degree, Punke worked in the 1990s as a government staffer for Senator Max Baucus (D-Montana). Specifically, from 1991-92, Punke served as International Trade Counsel to Baucus, who was also then Chairman of the National Finance Committee's International Trade Subcommittee. While working for Baucus, Punke met his wife Traci.
During 1993-95, Punke served at the White House as Director for International Economic Affairs and was jointly appointed to the National Economic Council and the National Security Council.
In 1995-96, Punke became a Senior Policy Advisor at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, where he advised on issues ranging from intellectual property law to trade and agricultural law. He also worked on international trade issues from the private sector, including as a partner at the Washington, D.C., office of Mayer, Brown, Rowe, & Maw. From 2003 to 2009, Punke consulted on public policy issues out of Missoula, Montana.
In 2009, President Barack Obama elected Punke to currently serve as the Deputy U.S. Trade Representative and U.S. Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, Switzerland. Obama's election of Punke for this position was also confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2011.
Writing
Punke is the author of The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge, which was published in 2002.
He allegedly came up with the idea for the novel after reading a couple of lines in a history book about real-life frontier fur trapper Hugh Glass. When he began writing the book in 1997, he would show up by 5:00 a.m. at the law office where he worked, write for roughly three hours, and then do his legal job for the next eight to ten hours. As part of the process, he conducted extensive research on Glass, including setting up and testing actual hunting traps.
The book took a total of four years to complete, and according to his brother Tim, Punke caught pneumonia at least four times during the writing process. When Revenant was finally published, in 2002, it received little fanfare. However, Director Alejandro G. Inarritu discovered the novel and, realizing its film potential, immediately purchased the rights. Inarritu championed it and eventually attracted other producers and directors. The film, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy, was released in 2015.
Afterward, Punke relocated with his wife Traci and their two children to Missoula, Montana, where he worked part-time as a policy consultant and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Montana. He also finished two non-fiction books (and their screenplays):
2007 - Last Stand: George Bird Grinnell, the Battle to Save the Buffalo, and the Birth of the New West. 2013 - Fire and Brimstone: The North Butte Mining Disaster of 1917
Punke was also the historical correspondent for Montana Quarterly magazine. (Adapted from Wikipedia. Retrieved 1/7/2016.)
Book Reviews
A superb revenge story.... Punke has added considerably to our understanding of human endurance and of the men who pushed west in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark--a significant feat.
Washington Post
A captivating tale of a singular individual.... Authenticity is exactly what The Revenant provides, in abundance.
Denver Post
One of the great tales of the nineteenth-century West.
Salt Lake Tribune
[P]ainfully gripping drama.... Glass survives against all odds and embarks on a 3,000-mile-long vengeful pursuit of his ignominious betrayers. Told in simple expository language, this is a spellbinding tale of heroism and obsessive retribution.
Publishers Weekly
The American West of the 1820s is a harsh and unforgiving place, something that experienced trapper and frontiersman Hugh Glass knows all too well.... Verdict: A must-read for fans of Westerns and frontier fiction and recommended for anyone interested in stories that test the limit of how much the human body and spirit can endure. —Sarah Cohn, Manhattan Coll. Lib., Bronx, NY
Library Journal
Like any frontiersman, Hugh finds that he can't hope to survive, much less succeed, without the help of the Indians, and he soon acquires a knowledge of their ways and lore. Eventually, his former betrayers find themselves face to face with a Revenant—a man come back from the dead. A good adventure yarn, with plenty of historical atmosphere and local color.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. While Michael Punke was reading a book about the American West, he discovered a snippet about Hugh Glass. Fascinated by Glass’s story, he began to study his life and times, research that would find its way into his novel, The Revenant. How does the fact that many of the characters were real historical figures affect your reading? Would the novel have been as compelling if it had been entirely fictional?
2. While we live in much different times than Glass, grizzly bear attacks are not unheard of. If you were in Glass’s position, how would you have reacted? What could Glass have done differently?
3. After the bear attack renders Glass immobile and near death, the Captain asks his brigade for two volunteers to stay behind and tend to Glass until he passes. Bridger agrees to stay to "salve his wounded pride," and Fitzgerald stays solely for the extra money. Do you think Bridger’s reason to stay is any better than Fitzgerald?
4. Shortly after Glass is abandoned, he has a dream that he is attacked by a rattlesnake. When he wakes, he realizes it was just a dream, and he also discovers that his fever has broken. What could this dream represent?
5. As the novel progresses, Punke provides backstories for some of the central characters, including Glass, via flashback. We learn that Glass was once employed as a freighter captain for Rawsthorne & Sons’. After learning of his father’s death, Glass hops aboard a Spanish merchant ship to return to Philadelphia to tend to family matters. When the ship is captured by pirates, Glass decides that in order to survive he has little choice but to join the pirates. What does this action say about Glass? Even though he was held against his will, should he be considered a criminal?
6. Glass’s mother and fiance died while he was held by the pirates, so with no real reason to return to the east, he joins the Rocky Mountain Fur Company on their venture into the upper Missouri. Punke writes that Glass "could not explain or articulate his reasons" for joining, and that his reason for joining "was something that he felt more than understood." What could this mean? What did "The West" represent in America in Glass’s time? How has this representation changed over time?
7. During Glass’s time on the frontier, he is faced with many challenging situations. At several points, he has to do things that most of us living in 21st-century North America would find difficult, such as eating rodents and raw meat. Under the same circumstances do you think you would be able to eat rodents and raw meat? Are there any other things that Glass does in order to survive that 21st-century North Americans would find especially difficult?
8. Punke uses dreams as a device to gain insight into a character’s subconscious. Bridger has a dream that he is stabbed in the chest by a mysterious specter with the knife he stole from Glass. Who or what could this specter represent? Does Punke want readers to feel empathy for Bridger? If so, why?
9. At Fort Brazeau, Kiowa Brazeau shows Glass a map of Lewis and Clark’s explorations to which Kiowa has contributed details over the past decade. Punke tells us that "the recurrent theme [of the map] was water." Why were the locations of creeks and other water bodies so important?
10. Kiowa offers Glass a job at the fort, but Glass refuses. Kiowa tells Glass that he finds his quest for revenge to be a "bit of silly venture." Do you agree? Do you think Glass would have been able to survive the frontier alone without his burning desire for revenge?
11. Glass has a respect for Native Americans that is unusual for a white man of this period. How would you describe Glass’s relationship with the Native Americans? What is it about Glass’s approach and personality that allows for the diplomatic interactions he has with most of the Native Americans he encounters?
12. While on the mission to mend ties with the Arikara, Lengevin, Glass, and the rest of the crew are attacked by the Arikara. La Vierge is shot and his brother Dominique refuses to leave him. Glass feels he has no choice but to flee in order to ensure his own survival. Is his decision to leave the wounded behind any different from Fitzgerald’s and Bridger’s decision to leave him? If so, how?
13. When Glass finally manages to find Bridger at Fort Union, he immediately attacks him. However, Bridger does not fight back which compels Glass to end his assault. Why does Glass decide not to kill Bridger? Has Glass forgiven Bridger?
14. At Fort Atkinson Glass finally comes face-to-face with Fitzgerald. Glass, however, is not able to get the revenge he so desperately desires, as Major Constable decides that Fitzgerald will be tried in court. In the seemingly lawless frontier, a trial does seem odd, but is this move toward order and due process a positive and necessary one? Does Fitzgerald’s punishment fit his crime?
15. The novel closes with a conversation between Captain Henry and Bridger. Bridger asks the Captain for permission to join the group of men who are traveling over the Rocky Mountains. The Captain says he is free to go. Why do you think Punke gives the final scene to Bridger rather than Glass?
(Questions issued by the publisher.)