Messenger

Forest is the most prominent symbol in the novel. Forest is the woods that surround Village and contains paths that lead to other settlements. However, it is more of a sentient being than a location. Characters interact with Forest as though it is a character, or deity, that thinks and moves on its own. Forest warns people if they are not welcome in the woods, and if its warning is not heeded, Forest will entangle and kill those it does not want. Most townspeople fear Forest and don’t understand it, but Seer tells Matty that Forest is an illusion. Matty doesn’t understand this aspect of Forest until the end of the book when he realizes that Forest is a representation of the fear, deceit, and struggle for power that was taking hold in the hearts of the villagers. The more trades that the townspeople made, the “thicker” and more dangerous Forest became.

While Village changes throughout the story, the most obvious change is in Mentor. His physical characteristics become symbols of the internal changes that are happening within him and Village as a whole. The changes in Village are very subtle at first, just like the changes in Mentor.