The werewolf

Outer characterization

The werewolf is another important character in the short story “The Company of Wolves” by Angela Carter. In his human form, he is wearing a “green coat and wideawake hat of a hunter, laden with carcasses of game birds” (p. 3, l. 31). He also has a rifle (p. 3, l. 37) and a compass which helps him find his way through the forest. However, there are a few hints to his wild nature, including the “gleaming trails of spittle [that] clung to his teeth” (p. 4, l. 1). 

In his werewolf form, he has “matted hair” (p. 4, l. 40) filled with lice, and his outer appearance is frightening: 

His skin is the colour and texture of vellum. A crisp stripe of hair runs down his belly, his nipples are ripe and dark as poison fruit but he’s so thin you could count the ribs ...