Monster Character WiKi

Mary, The Forest of Hands and Teeth

 

     Mary is the main character in the novel The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan. The Forest of Hands and Teeth is a trilogy to two other books, The Dead-Tossed Waves and The Dark and Hollow Places. Mary is not the main characters in these other novels likes she is in the novel The Forest of Hands and Teeth. In the Forest of Hands and Teeth, Mary is a teenage girl that lives in the town of XVIII with her family. This town is run by the Sisterhood and the Guardians. There is a fence around the town to keep the unconsecrated out of the town and to keep the people of the town out of the forest. Mary’s family consists of her father, mother, and brother. Her father got too close to the fence and became one of the unconsecrated. Her mother, who misses her father, looks for him periodically in the fence of the forest. Her brother is now married to Beth and they are expecting a child. Mary grew up hearing stories about life outside of the forest but the one that sticks out the most to Mary is the story of the ocean. Mary is friends with a girl named Cass and they played with Travis and Harry, who are brothers, growing up. Mary would tell her friends the stories her mother told her but mainly the story of the ocean. Cass would joke at the story of the ocean but Travis had hope that the story was true just like Mary.

 

     It is Mary and her brother’s job to make sure her mother is safe and doesn’t get to close to the fence. Her mother is always going near the fence to look for her father. One day while Mary was doing the laundry in the stream, she became distracted talking to Harry. Her mother got too close and was bitten.  She chose to join the forest of the unconsecrated. Her brother was very upset with her because she was not watching her and sent her to the sisterhood.

 

     The women of Mary’s town have two options when they reached adulthood, they could either be married off by a man that is approved by the family and one who speaks for the women or they will become a sister of the sisterhood. Harry tried to ask Mary to become his wife but she would not settle. She was in love with his brother Travis and did not want to marry Harry. While in the sisterhood, Mary’s curiosity took over and she explored many parts of the cathedral. She found that the sisterhood held many secrets from the towns’ people.

 

      The fences in the town soon become breeched and the unconsecrated are now in the town. Mary, Harry, Jacob, Argos, her brother, her brothers wife, Cass and Travis all met up at the fenced paths and continued down them looking for a way out.

 

     Mary is a very determined character. Throughout the whole book, she was determined to find the ocean even if that meant putting the group at risk.  She tried to figure out the pattern of the path numbers because she knew they had to lead to the end, to the ocean. Mary stated many times that the world they are now a part of is terrifying yet wonderful one. To the group, the world is terrifying, but to Mary, with the help of determination, she is able to see the world of terror yet see the wonderful things around her and wonderful things yet to come.

 

     Mary shows a great amount of hope. When she was a little girl listening to her stories, she had hope that the stories were all true. She had so much hope that she passed the stories onto her friends because she wanted to share the excitement and wonder. As they are venturing through the pathway, Mary tells Jacob her mother’s stories to keep hope alive in the group. Throughout the whole journey, Mary never loses hope that she will not find the ocean. With her hope, she is able to keep pushing on.

 

     She became obsessed with the ocean as time went. When her mother told the stories about the ocean, she always had the goal of seeing them. She could not imagine how there could possibly be so much water in one place. At times, the thought of the ocean took over her mind and she imagined herself there. This happens many times showing her obsession she has for the ocean and also her determination to find it.

 

     Selfishness sweeps over Mary’s character many different times. Cass, one of her best friends, and Travis planned to get married and right before the unconsecrated escaped, they did.  Mary was in love with Travis and hoped he would leave Cass for herself.  In the cathedral, she went to see Travis every night; they would talk about the ocean and other stories. She wanted Travis to leave Cass for her. This shows her selfishness and lack of thinking for other.

 

     Mary’s selfishness could indicate her independence. Mary’s father was not around, her mother was emotionally unstable because of this and her brother married off. She took care of herself and her mother. Mary was used to taking care of herself on her own and doing things her way. Her independence could be the reason for her selfishness and determination.  

 

     Throughout the book, Mary seemed very indecisive. She tends to change her mind quickly and does this based on her emotions. At the end of the novel, Mary just has the feeling that the ocean in near. She opens the fence and runs out. Her bother follows after her; he shows her the way, and tries to get her to safety. Mary escapes the unconsecrated around her; unfortunately, her brother does not escape. The goal of visiting the ocean is finally met for Mary. Her determination and selfishness aided in her journey to the ocean.  

 

The Forest of Hands and Teeth is being produced into a movie, however the producion was put on hold. Below is the trailer to the movie. 

 

Written By: Jolene Young