A Psalm for the Wild-Built

“The urge to leave began with the idea of cricket song.”

Cricket song symbolizes the wonder and intrigue of wild spaces. Dex’s restlessness is fueled by a desire to see and experience new things; they want to leave the city and decide to become a tea monk, which enables them to travel around Panga. The restlessness will follow them though, and will eventually motivate them to journey to the hermitage.

“‘I’m going to change my vocation,’ Sibling Dex said. ‘I’m going to the villages to do tea service.’ ‘Okay,’ Sister Mara said, for her duties as Keeper were simply to oversee, not to dictate.”

Choice is a recurring motif. Throughout the novel, characters maintain their freedom and autonomy. Panga is depicted as a utopian space for many reasons, including the fact that societal structures and religions support individuals toward their desired paths, such as when Sister Mara gently accepts Dex’s choice.

“It was, as commissioned, an ox-bike wagon: double decked, chunky-wheeled, ready for adventure. An object of both practicality and inviting aesthetics.”

Dex’s tea wagon is a symbol which functions on a number of levels. The portability of Dex’s new home alludes to the novel’s emphasis on Freedom and Adventure. The practicality of the wagon and its many thoughtful additions, such as its solar panels, wind turbine, and water filtration system, are geared toward sustainability. This alludes to The Importance of Ecological Sustainability, which underpins all of Panga’s architectural elements.