Wildfire

The fourth day of Sam and Delphy’s journey is essentially a day of reprieve. While it is not without its challenges, they have far fewer emergencies to deal with than they do on any other day of the story. As a result, their friendship and connection has the chance to develop more organically. They are both starting to be more open with each other; Delphy in particular does not really have any other secrets to keep from Sam. Sam is still hesitant to share the details of his home life with Delphy, fearing her judgment or pity. Though the two have learned to rely on each other to a great extent, they are still relative strangers. Sam comes from a more challenging home situation than Delphy does, making him more hesitant to open up.

The bond that Sam and Delphy ultimately develop is similar to a sibling relationship. The first time Sam thinks of Delphy as a sister is actually the day they meet: As they talk on the cabin’s porch, he reflects that he “never had a big sister, but maybe this is what it’s like” (64). In this section of the book, Delphy talks about her relationship with her two younger sisters, who are a few years younger than Sam. The discussion echoes Sam’s thoughts from a few days ago, though in this scene, neither Sam nor Delphy explicitly describes their relationship as sibling-like.

In other parts of the book, the theme of Survival and Resilience Through Crisis is about taking immediate action to escape clear and present danger. On day four, survival is more about good fortune and comparatively minor challenges. Sam and Delphy find the Jeep again because of Sam’s sense of direction, but they are also aided by luck. Their skills help them tip the Jeep, adjust the carburetor, and climb the tree. Sometimes, they have to face specific fears that help them both grow as people. Sam has to face his fear of falling out of the tree, knowing that the last time he climbed so high, he had trouble getting back down again. He summons his courage and succeeds, even though he nearly falls. Delphy also has to face a more minor fear: her fear of bears. Sam originally told her not to worry about bears, but when they get to the deer stand, he admits that he lied.

Because Sam and Delphy trust each other, they succeed in remaining brave in the face of their fears. Trust is another essential element of their continued survival; without it, they would not be able to face the challenges that the woods and the fire pose. Although Nature’s Simultaneous Power and Fragility are not at the forefront of this section, the natural world is still significant. Sometimes, appearances can be deceptive: There are enough sparks falling from the sky to light Sam’s hair on fire, but that is just a trick of the wind. The real fire is many miles away, on the edge of the horizon. Sam and Delphy’s hopes for the future, especially given the camp just a few miles away, make the natural world and the threat of the fire feel a bit less daunting than usual. As the cliffhanger at the end of this section makes clear, their good luck can only hold for so long before the next crisis forces them to adapt.