Man vs. Nature

The classic struggle of man versus nature is the prevalent theme of this book. Tobias is a farmer who leaves his used-up Georgia clay to move to the wilderness of Florida to start a new life. This virtually unsettled area of scrub land resists almost all of Tobias' efforts to take root and establish a home for his family. Even the act of eating is a ritual of conquest over elusive animals and vegetables destroyed by weather or invasive animals. In the early days of the MacIvey family's settlement, they are shielded from the elements only by shanties crudely fashioned by cypress poles and palmetto leaves. Eventually the family builds more suitable housing but it is destroyed, forcing them further south into even more unsettled wilderness where they encounter swamps, jungle-like forests and destructive swarms of mosquitoes. Due to the story's location in southern Florida, the...