Themes
The Intersection of Reality and Fantasy in Shaping Personal Identity
The intersection of reality and fantasy defines the protagonist’s coming-of-age arc. As the story opens, Anne Ursu establishes Hazel’s personal identity as shaped by the fantasy novels she loves. Over the course of the novel, Hazel’s arc sees her learning the importance and value of embracing reality. At first, Hazel prefers fantasy to reality and is deeply reluctant to grow up because of her perception that having an imagination and a unique identity is antithetical to maturity: “Being grown up mean[s] […] sacrificing your imagination for rules” (62). At times, this focus on fantasy causes problems for Hazel by distracting her from her responsibilities at school and home. However, Hazel’s imagination also has beneficial effects on her life, particularly the way it allows her to bond with creative friends like Jack, Adelaide, and Uncle Martin. After Jack’s disappearance, Hazel’s conviction that reality and fantasy intersect and that people can cross over from one side to the other takes on great importance. Her creativity and imagination motivate Tyler to confide in her about the white witch, saying, “‘[Y]ou’re the only one who’ll believe me. I mean’—he shrugged—’you know how you are’” (145). His wording emphasizes the connection between Hazel’s identity and fantasy, a link that perfect positions her to become Jack’s rescuer.
Due to her experiences in the woods, Hazel goes from seeing reality as an oppressive force to realizing that the real world, although imperfect, has inherent value—both joy and pain are part of a life lived well. Ursu presents the dangers of living in a fantasy by revealing that everyone in the magical, perilous forest is there because they fled problems in the real world. As Hazel observes how the woods twist other people’s wishes, she realizes the flaws in her own desire to run away from her problems and become a storybook heroine. The protagonist’s encounter with Nina and Lucas marks a turning point in the evolution of her perspective on reality and fantasy. She understands that she’s “not supposed to be sipping honey tea with people who are just like the parents you think you are supposed to have. Her mother was what she had” (249). In Part 1, Hazel views her mother as an enforcer of the real world’s drudgeries, but, by Part 2, the 11-year-old understands the value of her mother’s love and the life she left behind. At the same time, the author doesn’t shy away from real-world challenges, as summed up by the protagonist’s refusal to give her friend empty promises when the children prepare to cross the line dividing fantasy from reality: “Hazel [is] supposed to say something comforting now, something that [will] let him know it [is] going to be okay, except she [knows] nothing of the kind. But that [is] still better than this” (306). Ursu offers her readers the somber but ultimately life-affirming message that reality, for all its problems, is better than seeking to escape into a fantasy.
The Evolution of Childhood Friendships
Ursu uses the most significant dynamic in the novel, Hazel and Jack’s bond, to explore the evolution of childhood friendships. Factors that contribute to changes in the 11-year-olds’ friendship include their age and the social stigma against boys and girls being friends in middle school. Hazel feels highly close to and protective of Jack, but, in an unfortunate twist of irony, he sometimes avoids her precisely because she understands him so well. Due to his mother’s depression, it can be difficult for the boy to be near “someone who tries to remind [him] who [he] really [is]” (248). Near the start of the novel, Hazel’s mother tries to help her see that this evolution is normal even though it can be painful, saying, “It’s one of the really hard things about growing up. Sometimes your friends change” (86). However, Hazel rejects her mother’s advice because recent experiences, especially her parents’ divorce, contribute to her negative attitude toward change and her urgent desire for something to remain good and constant in her life. As the coming-of-age story continues, Hazel becomes wiser and more empathetic toward Jack. Rather than agonizing over shifts in his behavior or jealously begrudging the time he spends with others, Hazel gives him room to grow while affirming that she wants to be a supportive part of his life for as long as she can: “[M]aybe she wasn’t going to be able to know all the Jacks that there would be. But all the Hazels that ever would be would have Jack in them, somewhere” (247). As Hazel matures, she gains a new perspective on her friendship with Jack and realizes that no matter how much their relationship changes over time, nothing can diminish the importance of the formative connection they share.
Ursu uses the novel’s supporting characters to show how the evolution of friendships can be positive. When the story begins, Tyler bullies Hazel, hating her largely because he “Jack [hangs] out with her during recess now instead of him” (10). Tyler’s discomfort with the evolution of friendship gives him something in common with Hazel, which opens the door for him to trust her when Jack disappears. By the end of the novel, Hazel gains Tyler’s respect, and he invites her to play with him and the other boys at recess. This unexpected offer of friendship is a sign of growth for both him and Hazel.
Hazel’s renewed friendship with Adelaide further underscores the positive aspects of evolving childhood relationships. Two years have passed since Hazel and Adelaide saw each other, and Hazel and her mother are no longer part of the same socioeconomic circle as the affluent Briggs family. However, the two girls get along better than ever, bonding over their shared creativity and love of reading. Their reunion presents the encouraging idea that people may come in and out of each other’s lives, but the bonds between them can endure. Hazel’s connection with Adelaide reveals that Hazel has let go of her misguided sense of guilt and realized that her mother was correct when she said that “it’s not wrong to make other friends” besides Jack (48). The protagonist initially finds comfort in defining herself as a loner with just one close friend, but her circle of friendships gradually grows to include reforged acquaintances and former rivals, and her life is better for it. Through Hazel’s story, Ursu assures her young audience that it’s natural and even healthy for childhood friendships to evolve as people grow up.
The Impact of Divorce and Depression on Children
Ursu’s novel demonstrates that children’s youth doesn’t shelter them from the impact of adults’ struggles, such as divorce and depression, making it essential that children receive support and understanding during times of familial instability. When Hazel’s parents decide to divorce, the situation is beyond her control and leads to far-ranging changes. Almost overnight, her indulgent father becomes largely absent from her life. The 11-year-old thinks longingly of the not-so-distant past when she had “a real dad, the sort who lived with you or at least came to see you once in a while” (39). The separation also hurts Hazel’s relationship with her mother. Having to raise and provide for her daughter by herself places Ms. Anderson under significant strain, and the daydreamy Hazel bristles at her mother’s requests that she become more mature and responsible because it used to be “okay to forget” about chores (25). The tightening of the family’s finances leads to one of the biggest changes in Hazel’s life: her transfer from the affirming, flexible school she’s attended since kindergarten to the far more rigid Lovelace Academy. The “upheaval in [her] family” contributes to Hazel’s problems at her new school, such as the isolation and anger she feels (136). The separation of her parents plays a major role in Hazel’s characterization and conflicts as the novel opens.
Ursu further explores the impact of parents’ struggles on their children through Jack and his mother, who deals with severe depression. The perceptive, creative boy is keenly aware of the changes in his mother’s mood and behavior, and he uses art to process the problems facing his family. He draws a supervillain who “takes people’s souls” because his mother seems drained of her identity and vitality as she navigates the peaks and valleys of her depression (46). He expresses his painful feelings of being overlooked by his parents through the story about the invisible boy who hides in a snow fort. In the novel’s direst example of the impact of adults’ struggles on children, Jack’s mother’s mental illness leads him to seek shelter in a fantasy world. The boy hopes the white witch will fill the vacuum of maternal love in his life, saying, “[S]he laughed and kissed his forehead like his mother used to do when she tucked him in at night. It had been a long time since she had done that” (111). The pain that Jack feels because of his mother’s depression is so severe that he attempts to abandon his life altogether.
As Jack’s rescuer, Hazel demonstrates the power of children’s compassion to effect change in the face of impactful problems. Through determination and courage, she’s able to reach Jack and convince him to return to reality because she understands him and the difficulties he faces on a personal level. Like him, her life is difficult because of her parents’ struggles. As a result, her insistence that “it’s worse” in the woods and her willingness to face her problems head on carry more weight than the empty reassurances of someone who hasn’t faced a comparable struggle. The novel’s ending doesn’t provide a magical solution to the Anderson and Campbell families’ problems, but Hazel and Jack’s story offers readers the important message that they are not alone or powerless during times of difficulty.
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