Death in the Woods

Once the old woman has passed, her body transitions to something different for the men that encounter it. She is no longer the anonymous creature that everyone is familiar with as she treks to town, but instead her body is something of interest to the various men who show up to the scene of her death at the clearing in the woods. They are unaware of who the body belongs to at first, but the younger men, the narrator, and his brother, along with the hunter, have reasoned that the body is that of a young woman, due to the pale white skin and gaunt features. To them, her bare corpse becomes an almost mystical experience, the beauty of a naked female form. The forgettable older woman of life has become memorable only when assumed to be young.

From a young age until her death, the old woman has been a nurturer to those around her, no matter the way that she is treated. She can be seen in the same light as Mother Nature, or Gaia, since she constantly gives with little, if nothing, in return. It is the female of most species that gives life and nourishes her family, and although the old woman, in life, is anonymous to the town and is underappreciated by her family, she fills a needed role for the world. Her instincts seem to override any individual wants.