Through Black Spruce By Joseph Boyden: Poem Analysis

n the novel Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden, survival is a repeating theme. Throughout the stories if the two protagonists, Annie and Will, their survival physically, mentally, and emotionally is continually tested. Boyden expresses the theme of survival through the use of symbols relating to the survival of Annie, Will and the Netmakers. Annie’s journeys expressed in the novel test her survival skill physically and mentally in the city and in her rural hometown setting. In the urban setting Annie gets into modeling, which she finds both physically and emotionally demanding. The goal of achieving the desired body by exercise and eating habits takes a toll on her both her body and her mind. In the modeling world Soleil is symbolic of …show more content…
The Ahepik is a tricking spider character, a character that has a seductive identity of offering something good and then in the having a higher price. Marius Netmaker is the antagonist in Will Bird’s narrative. The Netmakers and bootlegging gang seduce the mentally and emotionally weak citizens of Moosefactory by drugs and alcohol but not only does the substances plead for continuance, so does the business with the Netmakers. The Netmakers thrive by threatening those who are a threat to them and feeding off the physical and mental torture of others. A spider traps their prey in it’s web and the prey experiences a slow death trapped in the web. Much like the Netmakers the town and surrounding area of Moosefactory is their “web”. Those who join their gang of bootleggers are trapped, if they try to leave their life is threatened and the only way to survive is to continue the illegal activities. The law keepers in Moosefactory are similarly trapped in the “web” of the Netmakers, this is continuously seen in the novel when the police neglect the crimes against Will perpetrated by the Netmakers. Quotation. For the residents of Moosefactory the only way to survive is to abide to the social laws set by the