The Word For World Is Forest

The Word For World Is Forest was a fantastic read in my opinion. It had many controversial issues that it wanted to tackle such as feminism, gender roles, what it means to be human and of course, war. Slavery is also a big one, but in this blog post, I will be analyzing Selver and his actions regarding violence. On page 129, as the ships were burning, “tears came into his eyes” indicating that he was not particularly fond of the outcome.  Despite being an ex-slave, he is ashamed of himself because before the humans came, his people had never dreamed of war. They had never thought about the violence in which they inflict on other people. After all, which human being or species has the right to take a life? Selver knows this and therefore this tires and consumes him. “Selver’s mouth was dry and his throat sore” (131) His body is exhausted from all of the fighting and what he wants is rest.  I would like to say he is almost like a soldier who has been fighting a war for too long is ready to move on; after all, “the smell of burning and of butchering was foul” (131). Selver is not meant to be a fighter, but none the less, he fights for what needs to be fought for: freedom.