The River

The novel uses fire in multiple symbolic ways. To begin with, the forest fire that Jack witnesses from his perch up in a tree acts as a plot device. The progression of the fire and its relationship to where Jack and Wynn are located at different times drives some of the novel’s suspense and action sequences. In this way, the fire acts almost as an antagonist, mirroring the menace posed by Pierre. In addition, it brings with it a sense of otherworldly death and destruction. The fire is described as “hell” on multiple occasions, and as it sweeps through the forest, it obliterates the natural landscape, creating a scene that is eerie and unfamiliar: “The earth stripped to its geography did not feel like home” (193). In its wake, the fire leaves an unrecognizable and alien world.

Fire is also useful as a life-sustaining tool and thus symbolizes life. When Jack and Wynn initially discover Maia unconscious in the bush, she has hypothermia and significant injuries. Without the ability to make a fire, Maia would surely have died; Jack and Wynn immediately start a fire to help bring her core temperature up.