The forest

The forest symbolizes life and death, and serves as the primary setting for the novel. Neither inherently good or evil, the forest is simply the forest. It can sustain or it can kill. It can be used and respected, or it can be misused and disrespected. The forest also represents uncertainty, not knowing what awaits Nell and Eva through the trees, or in life ahead of them. The forest is where Nell and her family make their home, far above the town of Redwood. The forest is heavily pine and oak, and it features a panoply of plant and animal life that comes to sustain Nell, Eva, and later baby Robert.

The forest, depending on their stage in life, represents different things to the girls. As innocent children, the forest is kind, peaceful, full of wonder, and goodness. As girls in a changing world, the forest represents...