City vs. Country

One of the most important dichotomies in the novel is that between the country and the city, which at first are shown as polar opposites, but eventually come to be seen as two parts of a whole. The book is divided into sections. Instead of being titled, Part 1 features a picture of the London cityscape, and Part 2 features a picture of a quaint farmhouse. This divide illustrates the initial juxtaposition of the two settings.

The first part of the book is all about Cat’s life in the city of London, which is depicted as a bustling metropolis full of potential and possibility: “Ansters Farm is like a circle. It is what it is. And you basically go round and round in a peaceful way, never digressing. But London is like a spider web. There’s a million possibilities, a million directions, a million...