Shadows of Sherwood

In an important sequence in the book, Robyn meets the wise elder Eveline in her search for answers. At first, Eveline doubts that Robyn is the child of her visions, but by the end of their conversation, she calls Robyn a “moon child” (164), the hope of the ancients. Eveline’s mystical statements can be read as a metaphor for the role of youth in sparking social change. The idea of a young leader is central to the moon lore since a moon child is born every few generations. It is this moon child who brings together the elements and fights against oppression. Thus, young people represent hope, creativity, and the power to change the status quo. The novel develops the mystical idea of the moon child as an allegory about young people disrupting entrenched belief systems in the real world.

With the dissenting adults of the novel’s world jailed, disappeared, or underground, it is up to young people like Robyn and Laurel to change the status quo. The narrative plays with the idea of how children slip between the cracks since they are deemed to be small and insignificant.