FRQ 3

In the novel In the Woods, Tana French employs the symbol of the woods in order to convey how Rob Ryan’s childhood trauma shapes his identity and leads to his downfall, ultimately illustrating that avoiding the truth about the past makes it difficult to move forward.

First, French initially utilizes the woods in order to demonstrate Rob’s memories and his trauma that he refuses to face. For example, as a child, the woods were the setting of Rob’s friends’ disappearance. Rob was the only friend who made it out of the woods, but he had no memory of what happened to his friends’. Instead of Rob facing his trauma, he hides it. He then returns to the same woods to investigate a different murder many years later. Because the woods have a meaning to Rob, it acts as more than just a crime scene to him. The description of the woods throughout the novel can also be applied to Rob’s memory from the night of his friends’ disappearance because both are dark and confusing. Consequently, the further Rob gets into the case, the more unstable he becomes. Therefore, this demonstrates that his past still has a significant control over him. In addition to representing Rob’s buried memories, the woods also symbolize the truth about the past that remains unsolved. For example, the trees in the woods can be considered a physical way to hide what happened to Rob’s friends the night of their disappearance. On the other hand, Rob’s memory can be considered a mental way that Rob hides the truth about that night. Because Rob had to face the same woods while working on a case, it made it difficult for him to avoid facing his memories as well. Since the woods are a constant reminder of his trauma, he becomes very emotional and begins to make bad decisions. Thus, the woods symbolize how the truth about his past still affects his life and his actions. 

While the woods represent Rob’s hidden memories and trauma at the beginning of the novel, they later show how his past begins to affect his actions and lead to his downfall. Furthermore, French uses the symbol of the woods to demonstrate how Rob’s unresolved past eventually leads to his downfall. For example, as Rob continues to work on the case in the woods, he becomes easily distracted and unfit to continue working. Because of his trauma as a child, the woods remind him of the side of him he never truly faced. This leads to his emotions beginning to interfere with his work and judgement. Consequently, this causes problems during the investigation and damages his status as a detective. Therefore, he loses the case due to his past getting in the way of his priorities and decision making. This instability growing in Rob begins to affect his relationships with the people around him. For example, Rob’s behavior starts to affect his relationship with his partner, Cassie, who was shown to be his closest friend and coworker. They become distant with each other because he refuses to be open with her. Since he becomes very defensive and emotional, their trust begins to deteriorate. Thus, his refusal to be honest with himself about the past prevents him from being honest with Cassie as well. 

Overall, French uses the symbol of the woods to show how Rob’s trauma from his childhood continues to shape who he is and how he acts. The woods represent both his buried memories and the hidden truth. This suggests that people cannot move forward in life if they refuse to accept the truth about their past experiences.

In The Likeness, Tana French uses the symbol of the house in order to convey how Cassie’s struggle to separate her real identity with her false identity leads to her downfall, ultimately illustrating that prioritizing connections with others can lead to loss of self detachment. 

French initially utilizes the house to demonstrate Cassie’s desire to belong in her new environment and her settling into her fake identity. For example, when Cassie goes undercover and starts living with the group in the house, she has to quickly adapt into the role of her doppelganger, Lexie, without raising suspicion inside the house. Because the house is isolated from the outside world, it gives Cassie the opportunity to fully escape her own reality and become Lexie. Since the group treats her like she actually is Lexie, she gets deeper into the role and loses her real self. Consequently, the longer she stays in the house and adapts to Lexie’s lifestyle makes her forget her own. Therefore, this demonstrates her desire of belonging and causes her to confuse the new role she’s taken on with her real life. In addition to showing Cassie’s need to fit in, the house also symbolizes the illusion of perfection when there is hidden truth. For example, the house is described as a perfect place throughout the novel. The people and relationships inside the house create a sense of comfort, but this perfection hides the secrets and tensions within the house. Because everything seems very controlled, it makes it difficult for Cassie to notice the red flags. Consequently, the house symbolizes how appearances can hide reality and guide Cassie further away from the truth. 

While the house initially represents belonging and illusion, it also represents Cassie’s loss of her identity and how that impacts her actions and judgement throughout the novel. Furthermore, French uses the symbol of the house to demonstrate how Cassie becomes consumed by her false identity and loses herself as a result. For example, as Cassie continues living in the house, she starts becoming emotionally attached to the people. Because she forms her own connections with the people in her false reality, she becomes unreliable due to bias. Consequently, her judgement becomes weaker the longer she stays in the house because she focuses on the relationships instead of the case. Therefore, this shows how the setting affects the way she thinks and behaves. This change in her thinking also starts to affect her relationships and decisions. For example, Cassie starts caring more about the people in the house and not the actual case.  Because she feels so connected to them, she does not want to find out the truth. Since the setting keeps her close to them, her emotions grow stronger throughout the novel. Thus, her decisions become based on her feelings and not actual logic. 

Overall, French uses setting to show how Cassie's environment shapes her identity and actions. The setting being isolated and comfortable to her makes it easy for her to lose herself in her false life. This suggests that when people are disconnected from reality, they can lose sense of who they are and fall to poor judgement.