The Great Alone: Chapter 12 Summary & Analysis

It is now the winter of 1978. Leni, now 17 years old, is hunting out in the woods. She’s become a skilled hunter and is currently tracking a sheep. While doing so, Leni is forced to cross some ice, which she fears will break. She does manage to get to the other side, but not without having to take a leaping jump to avoid ending up in the water. The jump results in a cut on her forehead and a mouthful of blood from biting her tongue. Leni quickly shakes this off, spots the sheep, and makes a clean kill. She then drags the animal back to her snowmobile and drives back to the cabin.

Over the past three years, Leni has grown up; she is practically an adult now and knows how to fend for herself in Alaska. During the same period of time, Ernt has gone along with Tom and Marge’s plan. He spends his winters working on the pipeline and provides for his family. However, Ernt is still moody and abusive when he is home, although Cora is convinced that he is getting better. Even though winter is normally the most dangerous time of year in Alaska, Leni finds it calming because she does not have to deal with her father.

When Leni arrives home from her hunting trip, she finds Marge, Tom, and Cora playing cards. Leni begins butchering her sheep—an activity that is now part of everyday life—and enjoys listening to the adults laugh and joke with one another. Although Leni loves their company, she does worry about the potential of a blossoming relationship between Tom and her mother.

While everyone is laughing and having a good time, Ernt abruptly arrives. Everyone is confused because he is home much too early from his job on the pipeline. He reveals that he’s been fired from the job for drinking, although he denies any wrongdoing. Ernt’s arrival breeds tension among the household, particularly between Ernt and Tom. Cora immediately moves to comfort her husband and before long the two of them move to the bedroom. Leni and Marge quickly give up on trying to understand their relationship and Leni turns on the radio in an attempt to drown out the noises coming from her parents’ bedroom.

As the weather begins to improve in Kaneq, tourists begin to arrive. Over the past three years, Kaneq has grown more popular as a tourist destination, a fact that angers several of the locals, including Ernt. Due to these recent changes, Tom calls a town meeting, which the Allbrights attend. From the start of the meeting, Ernt is antagonistic, often interrupting Tom. He and some members of the Harlan clan are not happy because Tom wants to renovate the saloon and fix the old boarding house. After stating his intentions, Tom buys everyone drinks, which pacifies the few remaining protesters except for Ernt. Tom tells Ernt that change is inevitable so he should let the issue go. Leni, who overhears this exchange, knows that isn’t going to happen.