The Power Of Nature In Tangerine By Edward Bloor

Mother Nature is commonly thought of as being the most powerful, through both creation and destruction. This idea applies to both real life, and the fictional world of Edward Bloor’s novel, Tangerine. The characters in this story struggle against Nature in several battles, causing severe outcomes. In the novel, the author uses the motif of nature’s power to show that nature has more force than man.

A few of the ways the author shows that Nature overpowers Man is through a muck fire, a sinkhole, and a freeze. When the main character, Paul Fisher, and his mother arrive to their house in Tangerine, they soon realize that they are living near a muck fire, which is a fire that burns underground forever. “Muck fires don’t go out. They’re burning all the

Paul’s family and the rest of his neighborhood, Lake Windsor Downs, later go to extreme measures in order to put out the muck fire, but are still unable to succeed. Their struggles are not limited to fire, but also extend to sinkholes. After a little more than a week of Paul’s new school, Lake Windsor Middle School, he is finally adjusting to his new lifestyle. This adjustment soon shatters when about half of his school collapses. Paul and one of his friends, Joey Costello, are walking along the pathway through his school’s portables when disaster struck. He writes “What is it?” I yelled to Joey. “An earthquake?” “No! Sinkhole, man! It’s a sinkhole! (p. 81).” Even though no one is seriously injured, the sinkhole destroys all of the seventh grade portables, setting up a scene for later plot events. Although Nature’s power is proven through this, is it also proven through the freeze. Old Man Winter decides to visit Tangerine in November, bringing the freezing cold with him. Farmers spend nights on end protecting their trees from the freeze using various methods. Luis, brother to one of Paul’s soccer teammates, is included in this battle. After just making a perfect variety of