Jen in Near the Bone: Character Analysis

Overview

Jen is a cryptozoologist who arrives on the mountain with her friends C.P. and Griffin, hoping to find evidence of the creature that stalks the woods. She is the most practically minded of the three, the first to notice Mattie's distress, the one who insists on calling her by her true name, and the one who refuses to abandon her to William. Jen's arc moves from confident outsider to wounded victim to tragic casualty: her leg is crushed in William's bear trap, and she is later snatched from a sled and killed by the creature. Though she appears in only a portion of the novel, her presence is pivotal—she is the first person to name William's crime aloud, the one who physically defends Mattie, and her death marks the point of no return for the survivors. For a full overview of the novel, see the main book page.

Plot Role

Jen serves as both protector and victim. She is the one who strikes William with a rock when he attacks Mattie, and she is the one who refuses to let Mattie sacrifice herself to draw William away. Her injury in the bear trap—a direct consequence of William's cruelty—cripples the group's ability to move quickly and forces them into the cabin, where they become trapped. Her death at the creature's claws removes the last hope of easy escape and leaves Mattie and C.P. alone to survive. In this sense, Jen's arc mirrors the novel's broader pattern of predation: she is an outsider who enters the wilderness unprepared for its dangers, and she pays for that with her life.

Motivations and Traits

Jen is motivated by loyalty and a fierce protective instinct. She is practical, blunt, and unafraid to speak her mind. She argues with C.P. constantly—Mattie observes that the two seem to enjoy arguing—but she is also the first to apologize when Mattie asks for quiet. She is empathetic: she notices Mattie's pain, apologizes for insensitive comments, and insists on treating Mattie as a person with a name.

Her physical description reinforces her independence. Mattie notes that Jen wears trousers and a brightly colored jacket, that she is much taller than Mattie, and that she moves easily and comfortably. This contrasts sharply with Mattie's homemade dress and heavy boots, which trap her and hold her in place. Jen represents the freedom Mattie has been denied—the opposite of the coercive control William exerts.

Chronological Arc

Jen's arc can be traced through several key moments. She first appears when William confronts the trio on the path. When William strikes Griffin with a shovel and then attacks Mattie, Jen hits him with a rock—twice, in the side of the head—and the group flees. At the boulders, Jen tends to Mattie's wound and gives her water.

When Mattie offers to stay behind to draw William away while the others fetch police, Jen refuses, saying they're not leaving Mattie with her kidnapper. She is the first person to use that word aloud, and Mattie feels a shock at hearing it.

As the group moves through the woods, Jen becomes increasingly protective of Mattie, insisting on calling her Samantha and correcting C.P. when he refers to her as her. When the creature takes Griffin, Jen wants to chase after him, but Mattie urges them to run.

The turning point comes when Jen steps into William's bear trap on the deer path. The trap snaps shut on her leg below the knee, and she screams in agony. C.P. frees her by standing on the trap's springs—a suggestion Mattie makes—but Jen is badly wounded and cannot walk well. She insists she can't stay here and pushes forward.

At the cabin, Jen collapses and is covered with a blanket. She remains unconscious through the night while Mattie and C.P. defend the cabin from William and the creature. The next morning, Mattie checks on Jen and finds her still asleep, breathing lightly but unresponsive. Mattie suspects Jen's condition is worse than the trap wound alone.

They load Jen onto a sled and set off down the mountain. The creature attacks, snatching Jen from the sled. C.P. screams her name, but she is gone. Later, Mattie and C.P. discover Jen's mutilated body hanging from a tree near the stream. For the full sequence of events, see the ending explained page.

Relationships

With Mattie/Samantha: Jen is protective and empathetic. She is the first to acknowledge Mattie's true identity, insisting on calling her Samantha. She tells Mattie that what happened wasn't her fault, that she was only a child when William took her. She refuses to leave Mattie behind and argues against going back to the cabin, though Mattie ultimately overrules her.

With C.P.: Jen and C.P. argue constantly, but their bickering masks deep loyalty. When Jen is wounded, C.P. works frantically to free her. When she is taken, he is devastated, shouting her name and demanding to know why the creature took her.

With Griffin: Jen is loyal to Griffin, wanting to chase after him when the creature takes him. She is the one who notices his concussion and worries about his condition.

With William: Jen sees William clearly as a murderer and kidnapper. She says that if they killed him, it's no loss to the world. She also says he can't just kill people who do things he doesn't like, revealing her belief in societal rules that William rejects.

Key Decisions and Consequences

1. Hitting William with a rock: Jen's decisive action helps the group escape, but it also enrages William and sets him on their trail.

2. Refusing to leave Mattie: Jen's refusal to let Mattie stay behind means the group stays together, but it also means they are all vulnerable to William and the creature.

3. Insisting on Samantha: Jen's insistence on Mattie's true name is an act of reclamation that helps Mattie begin to recover her identity.

4. Going back to the cabin: Jen argues against this, but Mattie overrules her. The decision leads to Jen's injury and eventual death.

5. Stepping into the bear trap: Not a decision but a consequence of William's cruelty. Jen's injury cripples the group and leads to her death.

Theme and Symbol Connections

Jen connects to several of the novel's central themes. She represents the freedom and independence that Mattie has been denied—the opposite of coercive control through religious justification. Her insistence on calling Mattie Samantha is an act of identity erasure and reclamation. Her death connects to the theme of predation as a mirror of human control: she is taken by the creature because she is weak and vulnerable, just as Mattie was taken by William because she was a child.

Jen's death also connects to the wilderness as prison and refuge. She is an outsider who doesn't understand the wilderness's dangers, and she pays for that ignorance with her life. Her presence is also tied to memory suppression and recovery, as it is Jen who helps Mattie recover her true name and identity.

Questions and Answers

1. Why does Jen refuse to leave Mattie behind when Mattie offers to stay and draw William away?

Jen refuses because she recognizes that William is a murderer and kidnapper, and she won't risk Mattie's life. She says they're not leaving Mattie with her kidnapper, and she warns that William could kill Mattie before help arrives. Her refusal keeps the group together but also exposes them all to greater danger.

2. Why does Jen insist on calling Mattie Samantha?

Jen recognizes that Mattie is a name William forced on her. When C.P. refers to Mattie as her, Jen corrects him: She has a name. Samantha. This is an act of reclamation—Jen is the first person to acknowledge Mattie's true identity and to use it on her behalf. Mattie feels a strange warmth in her chest at hearing her real name spoken by someone else.

3. How does Jen's injury in the bear trap change the group's situation?

The trap crushes Jen's leg below the knee, making her unable to walk well. This forces the group to seek shelter in William's cabin, where they become trapped. It also means Jen cannot flee when the creature attacks, and she is taken from the sled while unconscious. Mattie reflects that one is missing and two are wounded, with only C.P. still standing.

4. Why does the creature take Jen?

Mattie theorizes that the creature targets the sick and weak, like a predator taking down the weakest in a herd. Jen is unconscious and no threat, so the creature removes her first. Mattie explains that the creature took Griffin and Jen because they were no threat—the most vulnerable members of the group. This is Mattie's interpretation based on animal behavior, not a confirmed fact about the creature's motives.

5. What does Jen's death represent thematically?

Jen's death represents the cost of the wilderness's predation—both human and animal. She is the innocent who is destroyed by forces beyond her control, and her death forces Mattie to confront the reality of the creature's threat. It also removes the last person who could have helped Mattie reclaim her identity, leaving Mattie to complete her transformation alone. Jen's death is the final blow that pushes Mattie toward her own reclamation. For more discussion, see the questions and answers page.