The Forest

Because Beartown is situated in the forest, this setting becomes a symbol of both the unknown as well as the familiar. While each character has a distinct relationship with the woods that surround the town, the forest remains outside the jurisdiction of the town’s political and economic powers. The forest is also set apart from the hockey arena and the school, which are places with controlled by governing ordinances. Belonging to no individual in particular, and untamed by municipal authorities, the forest represents a place free from social constructs. Characters like Benji, Maya, and Ana, who often depicted in isolation from the community, are able to use the forest as a place in which to understand the truth of their identities. At times the forest symbolizes danger and threat. When the characters enter the woods, the reader is unsure of what will become of...