Respect For and Understanding of Nature

A theme that seems to be developing in this book is a respect for and understanding of nature. The three main characters in this story spend much of their time studying and thinking about the nature that surrounds them. The author begins the book by giving detailed descriptions of the various flora and fauna that surround the characters during the rebirth and renewal taking place in an Appalachian mountain spring season. She then continues with the same amount of detail and analysis of the natural world throughout the rest of the seasonal cycle.

The characters make different choices regarding the nature that surrounds them in Zebulon Valley or on Zebulon Mountain, but they all show a great amount of respect and understanding for the world around them. Their lives revolve around the crops, wildlife, and weather of this small space of Appalachia. Some...