Daughter of the Forest

Although Sorcha has not yet begun her destined journey, I can already see the prevalence of nature as a theme. But Sorcha's relationship with the forest she grows up in offers more than just the necessities of life. The religion of her people focuses on the giving and taking of nature. If you take wood from the tree for a fire, you give the tree a small token of thanks. In addition, nature provides protection from outsiders and offers the power of healing from it's leaves and roots. According to Sorcha, any outsiders who try to find their way through the surrounding trees, even if following a path, will surely wind up lost. Yet she and her brothers somehow always know their way. How mysterious. She attributes it to her heritage, but I think the author implies a more magical element to the story. I'll have to wait to find out if I'm right.

Although most of the nature theme is verbalized directly through Sorcha blatantly informing the reader and through her conversations with other characters, there also seems to be an underlying stream of nature references. Several metaphors have contained references to white, beating wings and flying, suggesting some sort of bird. I believe this may be some foreshadowing of what's to come, but I can't be sure.

Sorcha's family seems to be connected to nature in a variety of ways. On her mother's deathbed, Sorcha's brothers planted a tree, which apparently holds the mother's spirit, by a lake. Twice a year the children gather around the tree to reconnect with their mother and to remind themselves that they are all part of each other. Each child appears to represent some part of nature as well. Liam, the eldest, is the solid, steadfast leader- like an oak tree. Diarmond, the second born, is more flexible but just as strong- a willow tree. Comrack (one of the twins) is eager about everything in life and is extremely loyal, like his dog Linn. Conor, the other twin, is like the wind- everywhere at once but nowhere at the same time. He's the mystery; one cannot grasp his being; Conor is an entity of his own. Finbar, Sorcha's closest brother, is water. Unwavering, always flowing in one direction, Finbar does not falter from his sense of self. Piadric, the youngest brother, is like a bird- far fetching and will travel to great heights to reach his goal. Last, there is Sorcha. She is the sun. She lights the way for all brothers, shows them the truth in her own innocent eyes, and keeps everyone in sight of what's important in life. Combined, the seven children are unstoppable. They are nature.