Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Messenger, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Selfishness vs. the Collective Good
Youth, Memory, and the Future
Humans and Nature
Identity and Difference
Summary
Analysis
When Matty and Kira stop for the night, Matty explains that Kira should eat as much as she wants, since he'll be able to catch fish further along. Kira takes off her sandals. Matty comments that she was able to keep up really well, but Kira points out that the bottoms of her feet are bleeding. As she blots them with the hem of her dress, Matty says she'll be able to borrow clothes from Jean in Village. Kira perks up at Matty's mention of a girl, and Matty is relieved it's dark—Kira can't see him blush. Kira explains that her shoes are fine, but it seemed like twigs were trying to poke her. Matty is privately concerned that this is a warning and agrees that wrapping cloth around her feet is a good idea.
The state of Kira's feet shows that Forest isn't going to let Matty and Kira through without a fight. Notably, Forest allowed Matty to pass through on his way away from Village, but is now trying to stop him from returning. This suggests that Forest is currently reflecting Mentor's wall-building and the desire to keep people out of Village. In other words, it was fine for Mentor and his followers when Matty left—he's now one less person to feed and care about.
Themes
After they curl up to go to sleep, Matty stays awake and listens. He hears normal animal sounds and smells the rotting stench of Forest's center. He's surprised to smell it from such a distance. In the morning, Kira bandages her feet and declares that she'll be comfortable. Matty asks her to say something if she feels twigs poking her again. As Matty prepares to lead her on, he discovers that he can't find the path. He searches, puzzled, and finally finds it. The brush has grown across in the last few days. Kira begins pushing thick vines aside, but Matty takes over with his knife. When he cuts the first ones, however, acidic sap drips onto his arms and burns them.
The poisonous, burning sap functions in much the same way that Mentor's sudden shift to being cruel and selfish did: both surprise Matty, as he never expected to encounter this sort of thing from a previously benevolent source. This reinforces that Forest is reflecting what's going on in Village, and suggests that wherever Matty encounters this kind of selfishness and harm, it's surprising for him—evidence that he's still entirely sold on Village's ideals.
Themes
Kira and Matty finally make it past the thick vines and stop to rest. Matty inspects his arms, which are now covered in oozing blisters. He says it doesn't hurt much, but in truth, Matty is in excruciating pain. He considers using his gift, but he remembers Leader's warning. Matty knows they have to keep going and does his best to keep it from Kira that what’s happening is unusual. Frolic refuses to go further, so Matty picks him up and puts him inside his jacket. Kira comments on the decaying smell and asks how Matty usually deals with the stench. Matty wants to tell her the truth—that he's never smelled it before this time—but instead, he says that they'll wrap cloths around their faces and use a salve to block the smell. Though Matty's body feels weak, he leads them on and thinks of Jean.
It's telling that as Matty and Kira get deeper into Forest, Matty becomes more and more convinced that he has to obey Leader and not use his gift. This shows that in difficult situations, Matty knows that he must rely on people he loves and trusts to guide him through. With this, the novel again suggests that in a communal society, someone like Matty will know that there are people around to help them and interpret events for them—though he has to protect Kira here, he still draws on Village's ideals to do so.
Themes
That evening, Leader tells Seer that all is going well. Seer is cheerful and happy to hear that Kira and Matty are on their way. Leader doesn't say that he saw Kira's bleeding feet and that now, Forest is attacking Matty. He knows that the worst is yet to come.
The fact that Forest is attacking Matty specifically again shows that when people like Mentor become selfish, it's innocent, powerless children like Matty who sometimes suffer the most.
Themes
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