Nature

Through Andrews’ desire to develop a closer relationship with nature, the novel explores and examines the peculiar relationship that nature has with modern society. Andrews comes from a comfortable, urban environment in which he has been well educated. However, Andrews sees nature as an integral aspect of the human experience, and he believes that he has been cut off from true contact with nature. Andrews is apparently not satisfied with the greenery that may be found within a city and in the surrounding countryside, and instead he believes that the truest contact with nature is that which can be found on the frontier of the country, where flora and fauna have not yet been uprooted by the settlement of society. The background and motivations of the character William Andrews help to illustrate the different relationships that humans can have to their natural environments, which range from...