The Wilderness

The American wilderness is the primary backdrop for the novel. After Lamentations flees the settlement, she ventures out into the wild on her own. Throughout the novel, she wanders from forest to river to mountain to cave. She wanders through a diverse range of terrains, desperate to reach the French settlements in the north. Over the course of her time in this at times barren and desolate setting, Lamentations not only tries to survive, but develops a deep connection with and respect for the natural world.

The Settlement

The settlement is the place from which Lamentations has just fled at the start of the novel. Although the settlement is never given an exact name, from context clues, the reader can infer that this is the Jamestown Settlement along the James River in Virginia. After Lamentations leaves England and comes to America with the mistress and her family...