Pax, Journey Home Literary Elements

Middle Grade

It is set in an unnamed country in the aftermath of a devastating war.

Third-person narration from the alternating viewpoints of Peter and Pax.

Mournful, Guilty, Expressive, Funny

The protagonists are Peter and Pax while the antagonist is the aftermath of the war and loss.

The effects of war are the center of this narrative, as Peter has to deal with loss, grief, and also guilt. On the other hand, Pax is a father now with the responsibility of protecting the young ones from the dangers that lurk.

The climax occurs when Peter and Pax finally meet in the middle of the field but the fox leaves shortly after.

The mission by the Water Warriors of cleaning the water foreshadows Pax’s kit getting poisoned by the contaminated water.

“It felt as if his only question had been Do I want to see Peter? and the answer had been Yes, so he’d gone. No drama, no cowardly worry about what might happen.”

The narrative alludes to the cost and repercussions of war particularly on children and animals.

“Bristle had begun carrying the kits up to the dish of sand at the den entrance on mild days. It was only a few quick steps back to safety, but Pax knew how suddenly a hawk could glide down or a coyote spring up. From this vantage point, he could see any danger coming up from the fields below the farmhouse, any from the sky. This morning, the spring air carried only the friendly scents of wild things reclaiming the Deserted Farm: honeysuckle climbing over the shed’s roof, clover narrowing the path, swallows and chipmunks nesting in the barn.”

“You are not alone when I am out of sight.”

The story parallels the nature of humans and animals through Peter and Pax as their resolves change with growth and maturity.

“…he’d walked into his father’s room to look for a windbreaker”

“The afternoon sun poured onto a rectangle of floorboards”