The Importance of Working Together in Forest of the Pygmies (Essay Example)

Almost everyone wants to make a difference in the world. One way to do that is by sticking up for those that need it the most. Isabel Allende’s fiction novel, Forest of the Pygmies, shows the importance of working together to make a change and helping those in need. 

This book has a traditional structure and fast tempo. It tells the story of a crew from International Geographic, as they end up stranded while on a business trip. Kate, a non-traditional grandmother, decided to bring her grandson Alexander and his friend Nadia along with her on the journey. While in Kenya, the crew met a missionary named Brother Fernando. He told the crew that his fellow missionaries were sent to an area fairly close to them and asked for help finding his friends. After some debating, the crew agreed. They ended up in an overgrown jungle in the middle of nowhere. The crew had to adjust to their new surroundings and get used to the new animals. They meet some Pygmies, which act as servants in the village. The crew is kept captive. Alexander and Nadia snack out to go help the Pygmies one night. During their adventure, they find the queen that was thought to be dead. Nadia and Alexander go back to the crew to make a plan to rebel against Konsongo. This man v man conflict created suspense as the characters are about to risk their lives for a tribe they had only known for a couple days. The crew quickly involves the Pygmies, who are ready to fight. A revolution is started which is won by the Pygmies. After order is restored to the Pygmies, the international geographic crew goes home. 

This realistic book shows how the International Geographic crew works together to free the pygmies. Even when placed in a new environment that is incredibly overgrown and full of poisonous plants and animals, the crew was able to overcome these difficulties and survive in the wild. The setting adds to the story because it describes exactly what the crew was facing in this new country. The crew has always stuck up for what’s right even if it meant putting themselves in danger. This is something that the crew was raised with as part of their Spanish culture. Their culture is also shown through colloquial language by using Spanish words such as “siesta” (84; ch. 5). 

Allende uses a modern vocabulary but includes descriptive and unfamiliar words when writing this book. Her writing is very similar to today’s language and focuses on emphasizing the setting that the characters are in the midst of. Allende effectively creates an intense and adventurous atmosphere throughout this entire book. This adds to the story by keeping the readers intrigued. An example of Allende’s descriptive and intense writing is, “A rain of sparks like fireworks announced the arrival of the formidable sorcerer. The dreaded entrance was welcomed with a single outcry. So he had not materialized in many months, and some had harbored the hope that he had gone to the world of demons for all time” (281; ch. 15). 

Throughout the book, Kate has shown that she is not a traditional grandmother. She is very adventurous and makes it very clear that no one should call her grandmother. When her grandson, Alexander, jokingly called her grandmother, her response was, “Don’t call me Grandmother! If you don’t like the accommodations, go to the Sheraton” (134; ch. 7). Kate does care about her grandson, but finds it hard to show it. Her grandson Alexander, is very brave, curious and protective of everyone but especially Nadia. This is shown especially when he says, “Nadia and I aren’t afraid of them. We will go talk with them; maybe they will help us. After all, you are their descendants; they must feel a little sympathy for you” (187; ch. 10). Alexander's friend Nadia, is also very brave and also authoritative. Nadia shows that she can take control when she says, “The king will sleep like a dead man for several hours. That will give us time to stir the Bantus into actions… and then we’ll produce Queen NanaAsante” (239; ch. 13). Kate, Alexander and Nadia are all adventurous people who love to explore new places and situations. These characteristics are all very realistic which makes these characters and their personalities believable. 

Throughout the entire book, the theme has been indirectly revealed to the readers through the plot and characters actions. The main themes are adventure and teamwork. The characters are able to free the Pygmies only because they saw a problem and decided to work together to make a change. Without working through problems together, it is very probable that most of the crew would not have made it out of the jungle alive. 

Overall, this book has a believable plot, with the classic ending where the characters save the day. This ending is very fitting for the rest of the plot. Allende does an excellent job describing the struggles of the characters and showing that working together to solve a problem is very rewarding.