Through the Arc of the Rain Forest

Through the Arc of the Rain Forest creates a cautionary message to readers about the irreparable harm humans can cause the planet. To build this message, Yamashita compares the natural world with the industrial. The novel spans a global setting: from New York to São Paulo to the Matacão and beyond, and each time the characters interact with nature, it is a positive experience. At the start of the novel, Chico loves his life living by the ocean in Ceará. He takes only what he needs to feed himself and his neighbors, living harmoniously with his surroundings. When Chico begins his pilgrimages and passes through the cities of Brazil, he observes places “where the sun barely filters through a tight network of skyscrapers trapping a thick layer of carbon monoxide, electric and telephone wires grasping tenaciously at everything,” a harsh contrast to his seaside life (72).

Birds, too, are portrayed in a positive light. Batista and Michelle find great joy studying and caring for birds. When Michelle recounts seeing a rare bird, she recalls “The beautiful black eyes, the soft yellow and green hues tapering into the sky blue of its wings and tail feathers. Everything shimmering softly in the sunlight. I could hardly breathe for the joy I felt” (175). Batista and Michelle emotionally invest in wildlife and find inner happiness as a result. Additionally, Mané’s use of bird feathers helps him weather the tumultuous moments of his life; it’s his standard remedy for anything. Without the gift of feathers, Mané wouldn’t have the same calm demeanor. When a character respects the environment, the environment gives back. With her ensemble cast of characters, Yamashita gives several examples of how nature and wildlife can be beneficial for humans.

Other characters are apathetic toward the natural world, to the detriment of themselves and others. For example, J.B. shows no remorse for his negative impact on the environment. When mining the Matacão causes rat mutations, his company releases a bland statement about its recycling procedures. Throughout the entire story, he regularly ignores the warning signs around the Matacão. J.B. and Michelle’s public profile also works in his favor in destroying the environment: “the lover affair of J.B. and Michelle Mabelle seemed […] to raise a transparent but impenetrable barrier of Matacão plastic between the couple and what environmentalists were generally calling the rape of Mother Nature” (141). In Chapter 29, even after the typhus epidemic and ongoing DDT bombings, J.B. believes the solution to the problem is more Matacão plastic. This late in the novel, it is clear he doesn’t care about his ecological impact and never will. J.B.’s death—alone and abandoned by his loved ones—tells the reader that J.B.’s acts are reprehensible, and he therefore pays a heavy price.

Additionally, while Kazumasa never acts with malicious intent, he impacts the environment negatively. His complacency with J.B. helps GGG find Matacão around the globe, allowing the world to become even more dependent on it. Kazumasa’s ending is a happy one, but his earlier actions show the damage complacency can cause; his meekness allows harm to occur. In the end, Yamashita places Kazumasa on a farm, allowing him to find a more symbiotic relationship with nature.

The world of the story becomes a drastically different place by the end. The developed world, so reliant on plastic, falls apart. Thousands of bird species are now extinct. All of this is caused by the irresponsible actions of humans. First, they unintentionally created the Matacão by filling the earth with trash, where it solidified and mutated. Then, they became dependent on that mutant plastic, leading to catastrophic consequences for everyone and everything. By having a sad ending, with many characters dead and the world left in tatters, Yamashita gives her message of environmentalism urgency. The reader needs to be alert and mindful and ensure this doesn’t happen in real life.