This saying "the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away" is a theme very present in the beginning of Antelope Wife. The Blue Pierre Woman was given a baby. A child is thought to be gods greatest gift one can receive. Only shortly after having the child, however, she is strapped to a day and is taken away from here. The daughter is then found by a wondering man. She nurses on him despite the fact that he is unable to produce the milk she so desperately needs to survive. One day, however, "ask and ye shall receive. Ask and ye shall receive. The words ran through him like a clear stream. he put his hand on his chest and then tasted a thin blue drop of his own watery, appalling, God-given milk" (8). God has given this man the means by which he can take care of this small child. A gift strictly reserved for a woman. Now that he can play the role of both and mother and the father for this child, the Blue Pierre Woman finds her and takes her back. God gave the man life producing milk, and then took away the life he had to nurse.
Meanwhile, the Blue Pierre Woman has life giving milk pulsing inside of her, and no way in which to release it. To relieve her pained breasts, she is given a puppy to nurse, the same animal that ironically is to blame for her current lack of a child. She gives this animal life, to later take it away herself. She takes the dogs life, to help save her own, when she in facts dies shortly after. She is given her life back, finally has her daughter, only to have the Lord take her life right back. The girl receives her mother, only to have her ripped away from her, This story is one giant tug of war with fate and life. It pulls back and forth with irony laced throughout the entire story. It is a very interesting way to start off the novel.
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