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58 pages 1 hour read

Hanya Yanagihara

The People in the Trees

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2013

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Symbols & Motifs

Opa’ivu’eke

In The People in the Trees, the opa’ivu’eke symbolizes the unattainability of immortality not only within the world of the novel but also in the real world. The symbol of these turtles lies at the heart of the novel, and despite their docile nature, their existence drives the plot forward for much of the story. The opa’ivu’eke is a unique species of turtle that is indigenous to Ivu’ivu; when ingested, its tissues grant the villagers an amazing amount of longevity, at the cost of their mental acuity. While the bodies stay the same age, their minds decay and they become mo’o kua’au—exiles. This pattern presents Norton and the many pharmacological companies pursuing immortality with an unsolvable problem, for they hunt the opa’ivu’eke to extinction long before the scientific resources needed to solve the problem can be developed. Therefore, the opa’ivu’eke represent the challenge of preserving both mind and body, and they also symbolize the results of exploitative greed on natural resources and on human life. The opa’ivu’eke possess the closest form of immortality that humans can find, but when the negative effects of mental decay cannot be fixed, the dream of immortality ends. The pursuit of immortality leads to the extinction of the opa’ivu’eke and the destruction of Ivu’ivu. On a grander scale, the opa’ivu’eke represents humanity’s greed and willingness to destroy the planet in the pursuit of elusive goals.

Spears

Spears are carried by every U’ivuan and Ivu’ivuan man over the age of 14 and represent a unique tradition in this fictional culture. The spears’ significance as a motif lies in the U’ivuan perception of what it means to be a man as well as what it means to be part of a community. The spear of a man is seen as an extension of his self, and his own capabilities are judged by his ability to wield the spear. Norton sees men with spears on both U’ivu and Ivu’ivu and is told that men must always carry the spears with them; likewise, the loss of a spear has horrible consequences. The motif of the spear therefore represents both individuality and an individual’s place within a larger community.

The spears of the U’ivuans are their most important possessions and come to represent more than just a weapon. The spears represent a part of their identity and must never be left behind. Therefore, the sight of an abandoned spear terrifies Norton’s guides on his first visit to Ivu’ivu. As the narrative states:

But as an U’ivuan knows, spears are never, ever to be left behind. A U’ivuan’s spear is his soul—Ma’alamakina, ma’ama, as the saying goes—and if a warrior should die in battle, one of his comrades will rescue his spear from wherever it has fallen and return it to his family (145).

Thus, to lose or leave a spear is to lose one’s own soul.

In the case of the dreamers, however, their spears lose meaning once they begin their transformation into mo’o kua’au. One they begin to exhibit mental decay, their spears are taken from them, and they are led out into the forest, where they live in exile. Therefore, they simultaneously lose their spears, their souls, and their place in the larger community. Mua recounts this process to Norton:

Each of them had carried a palm-leaf package heavy with food that they had tied to their spears, and although they could keep the food, they had to surrender their spears to the hunters. They had known that their spears would be taken from them, for a mo’o kua’au is not a full human and therefore has no right to carry a spear (245).

The Ivu’ivuans do not consider any mo’o kua’au to be fully human and therefore exile them and force them to forsake their spears. The spears not only give each individual man his identity but the right to belong to their community and culture, and without individuality, there is no community.

Mice

The motif of mice in The People in the Trees represents the callous and invasive tactics of the scientific and medical communities in their pursuit of advancement. Using lab mice to test medicines and other products is a common process, but within the context of the novel, this practice is also used to critique the various ways in which the scientific community overlooks ethical issues in its pursuit of answers. The willingness to test mice and the quick frustration at a lack of concrete answers even prods some characters to suggest irresponsibly moving on to human trials. The need to make a discovery diminishes the severity of what is happening to the mice, and Sereny’s suggestion to Norton that the Ivu’ivuans be used as test subjects further solidifies the theme of exploitation.

In his early days in medical school, Norton works extensively with mice and even admits to feeling joy at killing them. He gives an extensive description of the many ways to kill the mice as well as the enjoyment he finds in it, stating:

Sometimes Julian Turnbull and I would stand at either end of the long counter that ran down the middle of the mice lab, both of us whirling four or five mice in each hand, killing them in batches. It was a satisfying task, a small but real accomplishment to mark a day that, like so many other days, seemed devoid of structure, or progress, or meaning (69).

Killing the mice helped Norton get through his day, and his indifference to the task at hand represents the larger indifference that the scientific community often has toward the living subjects it uses to advance its findings.

This indifference toward the mice, which resurfaces later in the novel when Norton attempts to replicate the effects of the opa’ivu’eke, is at times expressed toward the Ivu’ivuans themselves. It is clear throughout The People in the Trees that pharmacological companies and scientists often view the Ivu’ivuans as either a mere stepping-stone toward their goal or an obstacle in their way. This dehumanization is apparent in the suggestion that the villagers be used to study the effects of the opa’ivu’eke. As Norton’s memoir states:

We talked for a while about how I might be able to prove my theory on humans, and the impossibility of doing so; no one would be willing to undergo such a risk. Sereny asked if I might be able to perform the experiment on some Ivu’ivuans, whom I could later bring back with me to the States, and I had to remind him that it might take decades for the turtles’ effects to become apparent (347).

When it is noted that no one would be willing to participate in risking their lives, it is immediately suggested to try it on the Ivu’ivuans, most likely without their consent, and even Norton’s objection has nothing to do with their autonomy but rather the impractical length of the experiment. Just like the mice, the Ivu’ivuans are viewed with an indifference that favors major scientific advancements over the humanity and autonomy of living beings.

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