Karana's behavior, attitude, and actions are a result of the actions of others. Karana is motivated by revenge against the Aleuts for the death of her father and against the wild dogs for the death of her brother. She wounds the leader of the dogs, but instead of killing him, she takes him home and nurses him back to health. When she has her chance to take vengeance against the Aleuts by killing a young Aleut girl, she can't do it. Instead, she becomes a friend to Tutok. After the girl leaves with her tribe, Karana realizes how much she misses human contact and how lonely she is. She is never able to fill the void that Tutok leaves, and her desire to have someone to talk to never leaves her. It's the motivation for Karana to leave her island in the end.

In the end, Karana has lost her feelings of hatred and desire for revenge because she has matured into a young woman who has learned to understand the animals she's lived with, show compassion for her enemies, and forgive past actions.