67 pages • 2 hours read
Liz MooreThe God of the Woods
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2024A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
“Self-Reliance”
The name of the Van Laars’ home at the preserve is taken from an essay titled “Self-Reliance” by American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson, a renowned figure of the Transcendental Movement—a belief system that emphasized the innate connection between humans and nature and valued interpersonal connections as well. The essay argues that nonconformity is one of the most important states that all humans can aspire to.
The home itself is a source of pride for the Van Laars, and they enjoy hosting guests at annual events such as the “Blackfly Goodbye” party. The home’s lavish nature symbolizes the Van Laars’ wealth and privilege. Although it stands beside Camp Emerson, an unspoken boundary exists between the house and the camp; the house is only accessible to the elite guests of the Van Laars, and it therefore becomes an exclusive status symbol that looms over the less privileged campers at Emerson and others like Louise, who are deemed unworthy of entering.
The irony of the house’s name becomes evident as the novel unfolds, for the Van Laars are far from self-reliant; even their ancestors relied on the free labor of the town to construct the house. By contrast, the Hewitt family handles the care of the vast estate in addition to running Camp Emerson, and the Hewitts’ labor is what actually makes the camp a success. Similarly, the Van Laars rely on a large staff to plan and attend to their annual parties, and they also lean on their elite reputation to shield them from suspicion when Bear disappears. Moreover, their emphasis on their reputation contradicts the philosophy of nonconformity that Emerson’s essay endorses. The house’s name thus becomes an ironic symbol of The Corruptive Influence of Wealth and Class.
The Woods
Very early in the novel, the woods are presented as a source of danger, and the counselors’ instructions on what to do when someone is lost introduce the implicit certainty that this precise situation will be the focus of the novel. Thus, the opening chapters suggest that the natural world can serve as an enemy to the campers. Likewise, Tracy demonstrates that the woods are easily disorienting when she gets lost while searching for Barbara., and the searches for both Bear and Barbara prove that the woods are an obstacle to those who dare to live near them. In literature, the woods often represent evil and danger, and this association is emphasized during the Survival Trip, for the parents regard this activity as a risky one, and the woods create an inhospitable environment that forces the campers to work together and conserve the few resources they can gather.
TJ insists, however, that the woods can be a valuable resource to people, and she emphasizes that the key to survival lies in studying and understanding the principles of survival within this environment. She stresses the importance of learning about its flora and fauna and recognizing that the forest can provide people with the tools for survival. Her lessons become invaluable to Barbara, and make it possible for the girl to escape the oppressive life of the Van Laars. Thus, the woods represent both danger and freedom, depending on the context.
Barbara’s Bedroom Mural
When Alice discovers that Barbara has padlocked her room shut, she becomes certain that Barbara is hiding something from Alice and Peter. The unauthorized mural that Barbara has painted onto a bedroom wall is not described in great detail, but Alice suggests that it is loud and crude in its depictions of punk themes and aesthetics. The mural therefore represents Barbara’s desire to embrace the current counterculture, and it also reflects her refusal to adhere to her parents’ expectations. However, when Alice immediately paints the wall pink, her reflexive action symbolizes her desire to erase Barbara’s rejection of conformity, and she seeks to hide her daughter’s true personality from those who would condemn the girl as an “other” and deem her unworthy of carrying on the Van Laars’ elite reputation. Later, Barbara discovers that her mother has painted over the mural when she sneaks into Self-Reliance during the 100-year anniversary party. Her anger over her mother’s erasure of her work indicates her painful awareness that her parents actively reject her unique identity and regard her artistic talent as offensive.
