Content Warning: This section mentions death and infant death.

Though the novel does develop plot and characters, its philosophical preoccupations—primarily but not solely with questions of belief—take precedence. As the lapsed daughter of missionaries, the author herself grappled with the mysteries of existence and how to understand one’s place in the larger universe. Particularly through the character of Waldo, the novel questions where one can turn when the Christian worldview does not provide sufficient answers. In the end, despair over the loss of traditional belief leads to a revelation about the interconnectedness of life and the unity of the universe.

Waldo’s early experience of religion is oppressive rather than expansive and liberating. Of the religious lessons offered by his devout father, the condemnation of sinners impresses Waldo most deeply. In the scene in which he tries to make an offering to God, this punitive spirituality combines with Waldo’s expectation that the divine presence will appear or give him some sort of specific sign—partly a reflection of the literalism of his religious education but also an indication that Waldo craves a more materially grounded faith. He interprets the lack of response as rejection, so he too decides to reject: “He would not pray for mercy any more” (42).