Janina’s dedication to astrology is constantly referenced and reinforced throughout the story. She actively pursues people’s time and date of birth to make predictions about their lives and even when they will die. She also often looks to the sky in order to make sense of seemingly unpredictable events that occur around her. But why is she so captivated by Astrology?

The more obvious answer, in my opinion, is that it is due to her reverence for nature. She views nature as divine; therefore, the universe must yield answers about the future if one looks closely enough. However, I think this is only one of the reasons. I think another reason Janina deeply invests herself in astrology is because she is desperate for control and order. I think that, because Janina has been dismissed and disrespected so often, as seen throughout the book, she needs to believe that there is some natural order in the world that does not stand for it. After all the interactions, such as ones with the police or with hunters, where she is powerless to make change, she turned to astrology to find some “logic” behind everything that transpires.

I also feel like the unrelenting feeling of powerlessness that led her to astrology also led her to her breaking point, after which she proceeded to go on a killing spree. The systems of society had kept repeatedly ignoring her until she decided to make herself heard by venting her anger on the murderers of her dogs. I feel like there was this underlying connection between a lot of Janina’s dubious decisions (like keeping pieces of hunted animals she finds) and this unhealthy deprivation of power she experienced from a societal standpoint.