Penpal

The house that the narrator and his mother live in (and, by extension, its location near the woods) is one of the novel’s most prominent motifs, thematically linking to Loss of Innocence and Trust in an Idyllic Small Town. In Chapter 2, the narrator describes his family’s move into the town, describing how the house was transported in parts by highway and assembled on foundations in one of the neighborhood’s expansions (so presumably it’s a modular home). At this point, the house represents the hope of the new life that the narrator and his mother can enjoy once they settle in an area that meets their financial needs. He even looks at his house with a rosy perspective, comparing it to a palace even though he’s aware that he and his mother aren’t wealthy.

Although the house provides a refuge from the woods, which scare the narrator after nightfall, the sinister power of the pen pal infringes on the security that the house offers, turning it into a dangerous place. After the pen pal attempts to abduct the narrator and take him into the woods, his mother initiates a move to another part of town.