The Explorer

The story begins as one of survival and a desire to return home, but becomes in addition to that a story of self-discovery, as each of the children learns about their own hidden talents and inner resources. Each child is an explorer in their own unique way. Lila is endlessly curious about animals, biology, and nature; Con is tenacious and has a “heart with claws” (310); Max is simply eager to experience everything life has to offer. The explorer himself embodies adventure, survival, and an admiration for natural beauty, and he helps the children to see these qualities in themselves. Fred’s survival—and thus that of the group—is made possible by his willingness to take risks for the sake of exploration:

He had never wanted anything as much as he wanted to launch the raft down the river to find the X. He needed to know what it was to be an explorer. There was another kind of hunger in his gut that had nothing to do with food: It was terror and possibility, fused together with hope (116).

In setting out to explore this great unknown,