The Thing in the Forest

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 2003

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Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

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Literary Devices

Similes

Despite its third person narrator, the story maintains a childlike view of the war. Byatt accomplishes this through indirect references to the conflict—often, through similes. One example is an early description of the children navigating the platform “[…] like a disorderly dwarf regiment” (3). This invokes the military imagery of armies marshaling to defend their homeland but also distances it through the use of fantasy creatures. These similes are crucial in creating the story’s physical setting.

Primrose and Penny’s encounter with the Loathly Worm also relies heavily on simile. It is a creature unlike anything they have ever encountered, and they must invent a description based on things it reminds them of. The simile is the perfect literary device for this task, and they use a combination of descriptions to represent a creature that is itself an amalgamation of horrors. The result is a visceral image that appeals to the reader’s imagination and sensory memory: “[…] liquid putrefaction, the smell of maggoty things […] blocked drains, mixed with the smell of bad eggs, and rotten carpets” (8).

Symbolism

Byatt packs “The Thing in the Forest” with layered meanings and references. In addition to the larger symbols like the forest, the Loathly Worm, and even Alys, there are a series of other symbols throughout the story that point to more complex meanings. For example, the knitted clothing and tokens the children carry with them on the platform are symbols of their parents’ affection. For those who carry few possessions, these tokens also symbolize income disparities or wartime scarcity. Either way, these symbols combine to show that children from all backgrounds are united by the tragedy of the Blitz.

The dirty, stinking state of the train and the sleeping conditions at the mansion also symbolize the severe conditions of the war. That the train is the vehicle of the children’s salvation testifies to how much worse the conditions must be in the homes that they left behind. Conversely, the shiny and smooth-running train that brings Penny and Primrose back from their visit to the mansion in adulthood is a sign of the recovery England has undergone, at least in relation to its infrastructure.

Another notable symbol relates to Penny’s characterization. After the mansion, she briefly lived in a parsonage, which likely contributed to her somber, restrained personality. Penny’s strong memories of the drying corsets encapsulate this influence: The support garment meant to hold in the wearer’s torso comes to represent the restrained life Penny will grow up to lead.

Juxtaposition

Juxtaposition, a device that implies either comparison or contrast, creates parallels throughout the story. The early, obvious differences between Penny and Primrose’s physical appearances train readers to search for comparisons between subtler elements of the story. For example, Byatt juxtaposes the girls’ mothers not just to show the ways in which they are different (particularly in the way they respond to their husbands’ deaths), but also the ways they are similar (most notably in their desire to protect their daughters). Placing Alys alongside the Loathly Worm creates a sharper, more visceral contrast between her innocence and its vile horror. The descriptions of the forest also create further juxtaposition, as its otherworldly atmosphere contrasts with the real, war-torn world.

The juxtaposition of Penny and Primrose is a running thread throughout the story and reappears even after they grow up. Their outfits and even the décor of their guest lodgings reinforce the contrasts between the two girls who once called each other friends. This highlights the differences in the way the war and their various traumas have affected their lives. It underscores the message that despite the commonality of their encounter with the worm, the experience of trauma remains an individual one.