⚠️SPOILER WARNING, YES I DO RUIN THE PLOT!⚠️
Nora Walker, a seventeen-year-old girl from a long line of Walkers, women with witch-like powers who dwell in the scary Wicker Woods, is the protagonist of Shea Ernshaw's Winter Wood. Nora and her family have a special connection to the woods, which leads her to meet Oliver Huntsman, a boy who went missing from the Camp for Wayward Boys after a snowstorm weeks before. He should have died, yet he was discovered alive and well in the woods, with no memory. Nora had no clue how Oliver had survived the snowstorm in the woods for so long. But, as time passes, it becomes clear that something is amiss. One boy went missing and one died the same night as the snowstorm. Was he murdered? Why can't Oliver recollect anything? Is he hiding some horrific truths? Nora discovers that she is in danger and that a bone moth is chasing her, indicating that she is likely to die. Nora may be unable to save herself since, unlike any other woman in her family, she lacks nightshade, a particular witch power. In the end, Oliver, the boy she thought was alive all along, was a ghost that only she could see, and he was the boy who died that night, not the one who went missing.
The setting plays a crucial role throughout the narrative. Ernshaw keeps the setting minimal, limiting it to three main locations: Nora's cabin, the Wicker Woods, and the boy's camp. The Wicker Woods is the most notable. The Wicker Woods is located next to Camp Wayward Boys and Nora's cabin. The Wicker Woods, in my opinion, is more of a character in this book than just the backdrop because of how it behaves and holds significance.
The Wicker Woods is a character in its own way in the story. The Wicker Woods is described as a person by Nora, the main character. Nora, being a Walker with ancestors who lived near the Wicker Woods, has a particular connection to the woods and is able to comprehend them. For example, “I want to scream, shout Fin’s name louder but I bite back the urge. No matter what I can’t wake the woods, or neither Fin nor I will make it out of here”(Ernshaw, 10). This example depicts Nora wanting to call Fin her dog but not wanting to rouse the Wicker Woods since the woods would become enraged. This demonstrates that the woods are analogous to a person sleeping but when awakened infuriated. Unlike the other places depicted in the novel, such as the camp, which is managed by people, no one governs the Wicker Woods, implying a supernatural power in the woods where no human control exists. Accordingly, Wicker Woods has its own mind and is more powerful than it appears.
The Wicker Woods also acts as a judge and is against all injustice that is done. As Nora says, “If you take something from the Wicker Woods when it isn’t a full moon, misery and catastrophe will trail you home”(Ernshaw 236). The Wicker Woods would not be pleased if you stole from it on a day when it wasn’t a full moon showing that it has its own character and its own rules. This is later on shown in the book when Rhett, a guy from camp and his friends steal from the Wicker Woods and light it up on fire. When the woods are awakened they are enraged and they can act as executioners shown by its victim Jasper:
I meet his eyes blinking wide–panic in them. The forest doesn’t want us to leave. More dirt caves in around him, and he gasps for air-he’s sunk up to his chest now. He blinks up at me one last time like he still thinks maybe this isn’t real. Only a dream an awful, awful nightmare. He doesn’t speak out, doesn’t cry out, and I hold on to his arms until they are the only thing still above ground. But then they are too swallowed up by the cruel dark soil. Gone. Gone. Gone. (Ernshaw 248)
The Wicker Woods is a powerful figure. It operates as a judge, jury, and occasionally executioner through the punitive judgment and justice it enacts, as seen by what happened to Rhett's buddy, Jasper. Through the wood’s supernatural nature, the woods itself becomes a character, proving that the woods aren't governed by people. While the Wicker Woods never strikes without reason, one must approach it with respect for its abilities and potential to punish wrongdoers like Jasper, who was swallowed by the forest for stealing and lighting it up. Its attitude may appear severe, but it acts on what it believes to be fair. Thus, the contrast between "flawed human morality" as represented by the camp boys and a divine source of justice (Wicker Woods) adds fascinating ethical and even theological elements that deserve more examination.
The novel's setting has various levels and complexity, as seen through Nora's eyes throughout the book. At first, the Wicker Woods did not appear to be as crucial, but as I read further, I realized that the Wicker Woods was more than merely a setting, but also played as a character vital to the story and to the characters like Nora. The Wicker Woods is important in the novel and should not be overlooked or neglected since you never know what the Wicker Woods can do to you.
Work Cited
Ernshaw, Shea. Winterwood. Simon Pulse, 2020.
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