Environmental Change

Christopher and Mal’s adventures through the Archipelago act as a metaphor for environmental activism. Indeed, their work throughout the novel is inspired by their desire to save the Glimourie Tree from destruction and thus to protect the wild creatures that live in the Archipelago. Mal has “been coming across dead creatures in the forest” for months and hopes to stop more of these deaths (25). Christopher learns about this destruction when his grandfather tells him that “something, somewhere in the Archipelago, has shaken the safety and the peace out of it” (52). These revelations inspire Christopher and Mal to try saving the magical world. They venture from island to island throughout the novel to find the maze with the Glimourie Tree so that they can heal the world they love so much. Through their experiences, the novel is suggesting that caring for and protecting the planet...