The Smoky Mountains

The novel begins and ends in the Smoky Mountains, which are located in Tennessee. Theo and Robin stay in a cabin and spend time camping and hiking in the wilderness. They briefly visit Gatlinburg, which Theo refers to as "Hillbilly Vegas" (6), but Robin feels uncomfortable around other children at Ripley's Odditorium because he does not get along well with his peers. While hiking, Theo and Robin identify various plants and animals, including a mushroom at the beginning of the novel that smells of cyanide, a foreshadowing symbol of Robin's death in this same location one year later. Powers also foreshadows Robin's death through descriptions of the stream running through the mountains, which is "rocky" (19), "frigid" (20), and full of "turbulence" (19). Robin dies while attempting to remove cairns surrounding the stream that are infringing on the habitat of the wildlife. Theo recalls swimming in this same stream with...