Wildoak

“Some of the words would come out fine, and then, suddenly, they wouldn’t. The air would catch, her head would jerk around, her mouth would lock open, she would blink repeatedly, and every single person in the room would stare.”

Maggie’s communication difference is portrayed vividly in terms of both its involuntary physical effects and their devastating social cost. This creates empathy for Maggie: Even though she understands The Importance of Communication and Connection, she cannot control these behaviors and suffers greatly because of other people’s ignorance and intolerance.

“His tail was so long and furry, it looked as though he was being permanently electrocuted.”

This image conveys a sense of both Rumpus’s appealing appearance and his vulnerability. His long, bushy tail is not only comical, but also a reminder of his youth—his appearance is not yet the sleek and elegant like an adult leopard. The choice of simile—of him looking like he is being electrocuted—also hints that he is somewhat defenseless at this stage and in these circumstances.

“The driver said just four meatballs at a time. But I think three is enough. Come along, I’m going to take you for a walk. That’ll cheer you up. […] [W]e can get a hot cocoa on the way back.”

Arabella speaks to Rumpus as if her desires are his desires, showing a complete failure of empathy that will end in disaster when the still-hungry cat prowls through her flat looking for food. Her irrational belief that a walk in Hyde Park and a hot cocoa will be treats for a snow leopard characterizes Arabella as a self-centered person who is unable to understand creatures that are different from herself.

“For reassurance, she […] slipped her hand back into her pocket. The glass jar felt smooth and cool to the touch. ‘I’m sure he’ll come soon. Don’t worry,’ she whispered.”

As Maggie waits anxiously for Fred to appear at the train station, she turns to her two garden snails for comfort. The image of the glass jar being “smooth and cool to the touch” emphasizes the physical sense of security that Maggie finds in the presence of her animal companions, and her whispered reassurance to the snails that she is sure Fred will arrive soon demonstrates how much Maggie enjoys having companions to share her thoughts and feelings with. This supports the novel’s thematic claims regarding the importance of communication and connection.

“Once among the tall, broad trees, she couldn’t help but look up. It felt as though she had walked into a magnificent open-air cathedral.”

The simile comparing Maggie’s first experience of Wildoak forest to entering a cathedral portrays this setting as a holy place. This supports the novel’s thematic claims about The Importance of Environmental Conservation and hints at the transformative experiences Maggie will have in this location.

“She kept her arms around him a moment longer, saying the things she wanted to say without using any words at all.”

Maggie understands better than most people how much can be communicated without words. At this moment, she and Fred draw closer together, enjoying their mutual bond and communicating through the language of touch. This scene is a poignant moment, as Maggie finds a way to widen her circle of companions by using her own strengths instead of focusing on what she is not able to do. She is beginning to make progress toward the goal of Growing into Self-Acceptance.

“Once inside, the darkness and the cover of the thick bark walls reassured him.”

Rumpus’s feeling of safety once he retreats into the hollow at the center of the oak highlights how symbolically similar this place is to Maggie’s cupboard in her room at home. This also shows that, in many ways, Rumpus’s situation parallels Maggie’s. Both of them have been wounded by the outside world, and both seek temporary safety in a small, secluded environment.

“His eyes were full of words unspoken…words unspeakable.”

This moment between Maggie and Rumpus highlights the importance of communication and connection. It takes place without words, echoing Maggie’s encounter with the tiger at the London Zoo, years before. It demonstrates why Maggie is uniquely suited to be Rumpus’s rescuer: As a result of years of frustration and isolation because of her stutter, she has learned the value of silent communication and feels a profound sense of communion with animals.

“There’s a magnificent old oak down there that’s almost a thousand years old. It’s seen everything: the Romans, the Vikings, wars of all kinds, and it’s still survived.”

When Fred talks about the oak in the clearing in Wildoak forest, he stresses its age. This reinforces the sense that the forest has a magical quality that transcends human time and human concerns, such as war and the rise and fall of civilizations. The personification of the oak as something that is capable of sight and bears witness further reinforces the idea that this setting is an extraordinary place. Portraying the forest in this way supports the text’s concern with the importance of environmental conservation.

“She trusted Fred. If anyone could help figure out what to do, it would be Fred. She would try again to talk to him.”

At this moment, Maggie is worrying about what will happen if people discover Rumpus’s presence in Wildoak. It demonstrates her growing trust in Fred and her confidence in his judgment. Maggie’s trust in Fred allows her to find the courage to try to speak to him, despite her communication struggles, which is an important step in her attempts of growing into self-acceptance.

“‘You know, Maggie,’ he said gently, ‘What you write is more important than the way you write it.’”

On the surface, Fred is commenting on Maggie’s worries about the messiness of her letter to her mother. But at a deeper level, he is alluding to her larger communication issues and coaching Maggie to see that her voice has value, regardless of whether she stutters or not. His gentle, indirect way of giving Maggie advice characterizes Fred as a kind and loving grandfather who is genuinely able to see Maggie for who she is, unlike many other people in her life.

“He did not understand what had happened or why the woman had screamed like that. There was still so much about this place that did not make sense.”

After Rumpus accidentally runs into the woman and her dog, he is confused by her reaction. This scene emphasizes how out of place and helpless Rumpus is. It also shows that he cannot understand the woman’s fear, in contrast to the ease with which he seems to understand Maggie. This underscores Maggie’s unique bond with animals and shows that Rumpus’s only hope for escape and survival lies in Maggie.

“‘Now what?’ she said aloud, throwing each word into the air like a folded paper crane […] hoping somebody or something might catch it and respond.”

The simile of the paper crane conveys a sense of how intimately human hope is bound up with nature. The paper crane is composed of tree pulp that humans have formed into paper and then shaped like a bird—it begins as a part of nature, goes through a transition at the hands of humans, and again assumes the shape of creature from the natural world. Paper cranes are a traditional Japanese symbol of hope, and here, the comparison of Maggie’s thoughts to paper cranes shows how completely her hopes for saving Rumpus depend on her relationship to nature. This supports the book’s claims about the importance of environmental conservation, because it is the forest itself that will be the “somebody or something” that will “catch it and respond.”

“We do what we can, in our own small ways, and sometimes that’s enough to make a difference. Not always, but sometimes. […] We might not be able to save Wildoak, but that doesn’t mean we give up altogether.”

When Maggie is despondent over the forest being cut down, Fred explains his belief that individual people can make a difference. While they might lose some battles, they must continue to have faith and keep working to change things for the better. This encapsulates the mixture of idealism and pragmatism that characterizes Fred and that will continue to influence Maggie for the rest of her life.

“The outlines of things didn’t seem to matter. She was Maggie, Rumpus was Rumpus, and Wildoak was Wildoak; but she couldn’t help feeling that something else bound all of them together, something infinite.”

Maggie experiences a deep connection with the forest around her when she touches the roots of the old oak tree. At this moment, she has a feeling of transcendence that—in its mystical invocation of the infinite—echoes her first encounter with the forest, when she perceived it to be like a cathedral. This sense of complete unity and understanding gives her the strength to combat her panic about Rumpus’s safety; it also fills her with gratitude for the assistance the forest has already provided in her quest to keep Rumpus from danger.

“The slickness of the scales, the texture of the flesh, the sharp spiky fin bits were bony and not at all like meat. And it kept wriggling! He poked at it, not sure whether or not this was a game.”

Although Rumpus is capable of killing small animals and wounding even larger ones, he does not really understand hunting in the way that a wild cat would. Even as he kills the fish, he wonders if it is playing a game with him. He also thinks of the fish as being unpalatable, which reinforces the characterization of Rumpus as caught between the domestic and the wild. He does want to eat raw meat, like most wild predators, but he is fussy, as his palate has been shaped by the meatballs he was fed in captivity.

“Making a fool of herself wasn’t the problem; it was all the things they had been saying about Rumpus, about him being a terrible monster. […] It was the fact that bulldozers were clearing the forest, and all of those trees would soon be gone, even the old oak, though she knew, she knew, there was something ancient and special about it.”

At the beginning of Wildoak, Maggie is easily embarrassed by people’s reactions to her stutter. After spending time in Cornwall and bonding with both Rumpus and the forest, however, Maggie has changed. Her feelings when the villagers in the pub are whispering and staring because of her stutter are not about herself—she is only concerned for Rumpus and the forest. Her sense of communion with the natural world helps her focus less on her perceived weaknesses and more on growing into self-acceptance.

“But everything looked and felt foamy, the sounds of things, the shapes of things.”

This image vividly evokes Maggie’s fear as she approaches the front of the hall, preparing herself to address the crowd. Maggie’s terror is made more vivid by describing it as making the world “foamy,” yet Maggie struggles through her intense fear to advocate for Rumpus.

“He did not once interrupt her, rush her, or finish off any of her sentences. […]. He listened fully and wholeheartedly until she had nothing left to say.”

As Fred at last listens to and believes Maggie’s story about Rumpus, he models the kind of listening skills and empathy toward those with communication differences that Wildoak advocates for. This respectful and compassionate listening is an important part of what allows Maggie to gradually develop the confidence to use her own voice.

“Maggie felt jittery and fluttery, as if somebody had filled her stomach with a cloud of flies.”

This vivid image contains a simile comparing Maggie’s emotional state to something truly distressing—a stomach full of flies. This conveys how much Vince’s disapproval still affects Maggie, despite her newfound courage and determination.

“Something inside Maggie’s fierce and loving heart broke free of itself. She had said what she wanted to say.” 

After Maggie stands up to the crowd that has come to take Rumpus away and possibly even kill him, she feels free in a way she has never felt before. Her love for Rumpus has drawn a fierceness from Maggie that allows her to overcome her fears about exposing her stutter to others, and for the first time she is able to make herself truly heard by the people around her. This climactic moment in the plot makes it clear that Maggie has indeed managed to find her voice. She has finally completed the journey toward growing into self-acceptance.

“I believe this with all my heart, there’s room in this beautiful, complicated world of ours for all of us. Just as we are. In fact, there is a need for it.”

Fred reassures Maggie that, although she will likely always have a stutter, she does not have to feel embarrassed about it, and she does not have to let herself be silenced; she has as much to contribute to the world as anyone else. This statement of Fred’s characterizes him as a kind and accepting person, and it conveys the text’s overall message about acceptance of and respect for those with communication differences.

“‘We will find a safe place for you,’ she said. ‘Where you can be yourself and not be afraid. It won’t be easy. […] But you’re going to be okay.’”

Here, Maggie is reassuring Rumpus, but she could just as easily be talking about her own situation. Maggie recognizes that Rumpus needs an environment that will allow him to grow and give him support when he needs it, and this is what Maggie needs, too. Rumpus cannot survive in the wild, but he also cannot remain a pet—he will need a place that is tailored to his special requirements as a quasi-wild cat. Similarly, Maggie will not be going to her local school, but neither will she be going to Granville. She will find a place—such as St. Anne’s Primary—that will allow her to “be [herself] and not be afraid.” Also, though it will not be easy, Maggie is “going to be okay,” as well.