The Biologist
Area X
Random Facts
Symbols
Themes and Devices
100

This person is the true reason that the Biologist joined the 12th expedition. 

Who is the Biologist's Husband?

100

Area X is protected by this. 

What is an invisible boarder? (or mysterious boarder) 

100

A pile of journals is discovered at the top of this structure. 

What is the lighthouse?

100

This structure is a symbol meant to warn others of danger.

What is the lighthouse? 

100

The novel is presented to the reader as this type of personal reflective book. 

What is a journal or diary? 

200

The Biologist feels more at ease with this general term for undeveloped landscape than she is with people. 

What is nature? 

200
This strange phenomenon is "discovered" by the Biologist, but is not on the map. 

What is the Tower or Tunnel? 

200
The novel centers around this numbered expedition into Area X. 

What is the 12th expedition? 

200

This word is also a hypnotic command used by the psychologist meant to destroy the Biologist.

What is Annihilation? 

200

The novel suggests that powerful human organizations like the Southern Reach have no power over this. 

What is nature/the natural world? 

300

The Biologist often reveals important character traits using this literary device to examine moments from her past. 

What is a flashback? 

300

When descending into the Tower, the biologist gets a little too close to this and ends up huffing spores

What is the writing on the wall? 

What are the hand shaped things? (or some variant) is also acceptable. 

300

This animal is seen by the Biologist as she treks toward the lighthouse and it kinda freaks her out. 

What is a dolphin with a human eye? 

300

These creepy phrases are a self-fulfilling prophecy. 

What are the words on the wall? 

300
One example of this classic theme in the novel is the Biologist's resistance to the "brightness". 

What is man vs. nature? 

400
The Psychologist describes the Biologist as this not-human vision when she sees her approaching the lighthouse. 

What is a flame? 

400
Area X is often treated like this, instead of being treated as a location or setting. 

What is a character? 

400

The Biologist defeats this expedition member because of her heightened senses in spite of this member's military training. 

Who is the Surveyor? 

400

This character's brightness shows the power of Area X to assimilate overtake. 

Who is the Biologist? 

400

The Biologist taking the lighthouse keeper's photograph is an example of this literary device. 

What is foreshadowing? 

500

The Biologist's husband returns from Area X, acting strange, because he is actually this. 

What is a doppelganger?

500

The uncertainty of human perception is symbolized by this structure whose name the expedition members cannot agree on. 

What is the Tower/Tunnel? 

500

The Biologist chooses to do this at the end of the novel. 

What is search for her husband? 

OR 

What is search for the island? 

500

This transitional space tells us a lot about the Biologist's character during a flashback to her childhood. 

What is the overgrown pool? 

500

The name of the starfish that the Biologist tells us about in a tidal-pool flashback right before she sees the Crawler. 

What is the "Destroyer of Worlds"? 

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