The Vaster Wilds

Content Warning: This section of the guide references extreme classism, suicidal ideation and the violent nature of colonialism and imperialism.

The naming of things, people, and places is a recurring motif throughout the story. Although she is the protagonist, the girl does not truly have a name, and this notable lack symbolizes the dehumanization she has endured in her role as a servant in English society. She has been given rudimentary names throughout her life, but each one was an insult in some way, designed to reinforce her lowly place as a lesser member of society. Perhaps the most striking example of this pattern is when her mistress callously gives her the name of her dead monkey, for just as the epithet “Zed” implies something that is utterly “last” in anyone’s thoughts, it also emphasizes the girl’s enforced status as something humanlike but inherently less than human. This dynamic illustrates the nature of the cruel power that has stunted her spiritual growth throughout her life, and it also gives further insight into the girl’s struggle with self-actualization during her solo journey. Her lack of a dignified name that she can accept or take pride in also shows her growing distance from the indifferent society into which she was born.