54 pages • 1 hour read
Hannah GraceWildfire
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2023A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Unplugging
Content Warning: This section mentions gambling addiction, parental neglect and verbal abuse, and alcohol abuse.
The concept of “unplugging” or disconnecting from phones and social media throughout the novel symbolizes Russ’s and Aurora’s desires to avoid life’s problems rather than face them head-on. Aurora is obsessed with stalking her father’s newest girlfriend, Norah, and her daughter, Isobel, on Norah’s Instagram account. Doing so only exacerbates the hurt she already feels at her father’s indifference toward his former wife and biological daughters. When she arrives at camp, she proposes to “delete [her] spam account and lock [her] cell phone in [her] suitcase” because “if [she] do[esn’t] see it, it doesn’t exist” (88). While this is a beneficial starting point for healing her personal insecurities without Norah’s social media posts primed to reopen Aurora’s emotional wounds, it is not an effective tactic long term. When Aurora returns from camp and “replugs,” the core issues in her life will still be present.
This same logic applies to Russ, who actively avoids checking his phone whenever possible. Honey Acres provides him with a further excuse not to reply to family text messages or phone calls due to its spotty service and the strict camp schedule. However, this habit allows Russ to continuously disconnect with his family and their pent-up frustration rather than communicate with them openly about his grievances. The fact that Russ uses his phone often to call JJ for advice about Aurora and communicate with his friends via group chat underscores how “unplugging” is only prioritized when it comes to avoiding people and situations that are ongoing issues in his life. Ultimately, both Russ and Aurora do confront their issues with their families thanks to cell phones, illustrating their newfound willingness to face life’s problems: Russ visits his father in the hospital because of a phone call from Ethan, Aurora tells her father how she feels over the phone, and the couple must overcome their greatest challenge—Aurora discovering Ethan’s father’s addiction—after Aurora answers a call on his phone.
Silence
Aurora’s perception of silence throughout the novel is a motif for Overcoming Insecurity. In a moment of quiet before Aurora and Russ first have sex, she “want[s] to fill the silence with every thought in [her] head for reasons [she] do[esn’t] understand” (48). Aurora’s inability to handle silence stems from her insecurities. Babbling to fill the silence allows Aurora to direct conversation and maintain control; if others aren’t given the space to speak, they can’t reject her. Moments of silence also allow for an individual’s unexpected thoughts or emotions to arise; Aurora tends to avoid this quiet contemplation at all costs so as to not reflect on her negative emotions, perceived shortcomings, and feelings of inadequacy.
Aurora’s father’s silence continuously hurts her. Therefore, the old wound reopens when she’s greeted with Russ’s silence toward her at Honey Acres. Even as Russ and Aurora become closer, Russ continues to prefer silence over talking about himself and his family, and “Aurora takes [his] silence for what it is, a closed door” (124). While Russ’s silence stems from his desire to keep the embarrassment of his father’s addiction secret, Aurora sees all silence as a reflection of her own worth. Her father’s silence is due to his indifference toward his daughters, so Aurora sees Russ’s silence as the same indifference toward her. Several times throughout the novel as Aurora and Russ’s romance develops, they bask in comfortable silence with each other. By the end of the novel, Aurora offers to ride back to Maple Hills in silence with Russ. This offer illustrates her newfound confidence in herself and her relationship with Russ. She no longer views his silent moments as a reflection of her worth but rather as a coping mechanism for issues that have nothing to do with her.
Fire
Fire metaphors and terminology are used throughout the novel to symbolize risk and destruction, aligning with the theme of Risk Versus Reward. The title of the novel, Wildfire, refers to Aurora’s character. In a conversation with Russ, Aurora says, “I have a habit of leaving a path of destruction in my wake, both literally and metaphorically,” to which Russ replies, “Like a wildfire” (191). A wildfire is a large, quickly spreading fire that is highly destructive, especially to woodland or brush. Wildfires are typically unplanned, unwanted, and difficult to extinguish. The term in reference to Aurora highlights her tendency for self-destructive behaviors. These behaviors often affect those around her as well.
The camp setting further heightens the wildfire metaphor by placing Aurora—a highly flammable character with a penchant for destructive acts—in an equally flammable woodland setting. Both setting and character serve as metaphors for Aurora’s risky decision to pursue a romance with Russ despite the camp rules explicitly stating that inter-counselor relationships are strictly forbidden and punishable by firing. Since both Aurora and Russ desperately need the escape Honey Acres provides, their secret relationship is a metaphorical wildfire waiting to ignite. This isn’t the only risk to their relationship, however. Russ worries that his proximity to Aurora might reveal more about his dysfunctional family and father’s gambling addiction than he’s comfortable with. Aurora worries that she’ll become too attached to Russ and face an inevitable, heart-shattering rejection. In this way, fire symbolism exposes the risk of opening oneself up to relationships with others. Aurora and Russ view their relationships with their parents as “sticking [their] hand[s] in a fire over and over and expecting it not to keep burning [them]” (174). Whether it be familial, platonic, or romantic, any form of relationship is akin to opening oneself up to potentially being burned.
