Forests As Symbols In A Novel

This Special Behind The Scenes post finishes a series devoted to the request of Jane Watson for my views on various symbols in Notes from An Alien <— Grab a free copy :-)

Reminder: You can ask me Any questions about the book in Any of these Friday posts…

So, “forest”—“Middle English (in the sense ‘wooded area kept for hunting’, also denoting any uncultivated land): via Old French from late Latin forestis (silva), literally ‘(wood) outside’, from Latin foris ‘outside'”

Let’s proceed with examples of its use in Notes from An Alien—spoilers ahead!!

Early in the story, Rednaxela, the leader of the first expedition from the Corporate World to the Religious World; his Artificial Intelligence unit, Morna; and, the purported Prophet Akla are making an escape:

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Not long after the dispatch of transfer pods paused, to give ShipOne time to return to the proper place in its orbit, a single pod prepared for descent. It contained Akla, Rednaxela, and Morna.

“Morna, check Akla’s coordinates again please.”

“They are fine. We’ll be landing in a deeply forested region of what the Anlans call the Unholy Lands in a country called Ceia-Abi, 50 miles from the main city, Oaur.”

“Yes, yes, I know. Sometimes you’re too consummate in your responses.”

“Thank you, Rednaxela…”

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It’s fairly easy to see that the forest is being used as a safe place to hide out; but, do you sense a more symbolic reason for my choice of a forest rather than a desert or other isolated spot?

What about the combination of a forest in a region called the Unholy Lands??

The next excerpt is in the same forested region of the same planet:

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“Surgenta slashed at the small, green, persistent insects swirling around his head. This journey across the forest of Ceia-Abi was the most important thing he’d ever begun in his life. Leaving the lands of the Lord’s Army had been critical to his survival but his life in the Unholy Lands hadn’t been remarkable in any way. Not until he met that strange man who claimed he knew the Promised One. Then he met Akla, Himself, and began to question everything he’d ever believed.”

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Surgenta is a minor character with a major mission—delivering a Message from the Prophet to the leader of the religion called the Lord’s Army.

In this case, I used a forest to introduce him so I could give him a place where those “small, green, persistent insects” could be attacking him—on a secret mission, deep in a forest, menaced by insects—perhaps you can see the insects as the false but pernicious religious dogmas of his former religion?

Perhaps, you can see the start of his mission in a forest as a trial through darkness to reach the Light?

The next excerpt is about Delva, the book’s most important character, as she walks outside to ponder a vision her mother has just told her (that vision is discussed in the post, A Mystery Partly Unraveled ~ A Critical Dream).

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“Delva had left her parents in the room and stepped outside to contemplate, yet again, her mother’s visions. She was carrying Morna. She’d wandered to the edge of the nearby forest and was about to enter the dark and fragrant sanctuary when the trees were suddenly illuminated with a yellow-red glow. The following concussion threw her into the forest. Her last conscious thought was, I have so much to do.”

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Delva is trying to unravel a mystery—a Vision—and I used the forest for two reasons:

First to co-opt the mystery forests can sometimes instill and then to be a “haven” for her explosion-mauled body…

So, those are the instances of my use of forests as symbols in Notes from An Alien.

But, please, don’t assume that as I wrote the story I was consciously aware of the symbolism.

I’m not that kind of writer…

I prepare heavily for each book I write but the preparation has to do with the elements of the themes I need to flesh out—the fleshing happens “on the fly” as I write from sparse notes about various plot necessities.

Still, I can look back at what I’ve written and deduce the unconscious reasons for selecting various symbols—I do trust my Muse and she does inhabit my Unconscious…

Also, I’m happy to have my readers attribute different meanings to my symbols and I hope they’ll share them in the Comments.

By the way, I know a writer who carefully considers the symbolism of her stories and the images she’ll use to bring it to life—the very Jane Watson who asked me to write about my symbols :-)
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