Swampland
The novel is rife with descriptions of the swamps and they run the gamut from narratives of how beautiful and majestic it is to how fetid and dismal the wetlands are. The portrayals of the swamplands are necessary to give the reader of the size and scope of the place, bringing to mind images of vast isolation via sheer distance, as well as a very real sense of danger and otherworldly-ness because of the denizens of the swamp and the many hidden wonders contained in its’ depths.
The Occult/The Supernatural
Swamplandia is every bit the magical realism novel that it is described as, and although the characters that narrate events in the book are largely unreliable due to age and general lack of experience, such as in the case of Ava, or possesses questionable sanity, such as Osceola elements of the supernatural are as much apart of Swamplandia as the reeds and the marsh grasses that make up the landscape. Ghosts and an obsession with the occult are significant plot drivers. Even the closest thing the novel has to an actual antagonist is the mega-theme park named “The World of Darkness.”
Decay
Images of decay and disrepair abound in the book. The swamp they live in, despite teeming with life, is also replete with descriptions of rot--moss hangs from the tree branches, mold and mildew all over the park, and wood more than a decade old has all but rotten away into splinters. The decay and degradation go beyond the surroundings too: very lives of the main characters are in a huge state of disarray due to the death of their beloved matriarch and their finances are in shambles as well.
Comical Word Use
Events in the novel are recounted through the lenses of Ava Bigtree, a thirteen-year old girl and as such many of her insights and observations are colored by her innocence and naïveté. This inexperience also results in odd, often humorously composed sentences that help to create an atmosphere of whimsy and hope despite the dismal atmosphere of the swamp and the bleakness of the novel’s theme.
