Recreation In the novels This Boy and Into the Forest, both protagonists similarly use self-expression as a method of recreating themselves and escape a worse alternative. Throughout the novel, Tobias and the two sisters are immersed in difficult conditions in which they must take care of themselves. To keep themselves sane, they force a hobby or mindset to keep a goal in front of them, rather than accepting their current situation, almost as if to say they do not accept their current substandard condition. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Tobias indulges in the Jack London novels to the point of idolizing their heroic figures and changes his name to Jack, so as to set the standards for himself to become something greater. “I was subject to bouts of feeling unworthy… It didn't take long for this feeling to come to life, along with the certainty that everyone except my mother saw through me and didn't like what they saw.” Eva, on the contrary, expresses herself through ballet, apparently to distract herself from the decrepit and deprived life she leads in the isolated shack with her family. When the power goes out and she doesn't have the resources to play or attend dance school, she subjects herself to dancing to the metronome, even though her opportunity to perform on stage has long since expired. “I need to dance, Nell. I have to dance to the music. Just for a few minutes. To give me courage." Its daily practice provides a sense of cathartic release to abandon one's pains and keep the mind isolated from the chaos that surrounds it. Both characters engage in an activity that in turn provides mental stability, as they set a goal to work towards, no matter how unrealistic, which serves as their most meaningful reason to live in their spiteful situation. Nell, unlike Tobias, had a lot of direction in life, but was unable to realize her future due to the chaotic way society maintains itself, as Tobias aspired to go from the weak boy to the man living in the stories he reads, in other words, and to pseudo-inspiration. “When we are green, still half-created, we believe that our dreams are straight… and that falling and dying are things to stop. We live in the innocent and monstrous certainty that…we have a special agreement under which we will be allowed to remain green forever…” (Hegland 286). Here Tobias shows his maturity by reflecting on his life, explaining that our ambitions are a concrete part of our personality, that every dream we have will come true. However, it soon becomes apparent that life isn't going as he planned. He overly glamorizes his life to his pen pal Alice, to whom he tries to describe the life he would like to live, dreaming of transforming into the enchanted young man he so desires to be. This contrasts greatly with Nell's hopes, as she had the skill, commitment and connections to perfect herself as a dancer, making her goal much more realistic. However, his dancing days were put to an end due to the sudden poverty of the city. Nell, in comparison, had the opportunity to live her dream as a dancer, while Tobias' dreams are short-lived, using the heroic figure to compensate for the humble person he was at the time, without making any attempt to realize his fantasies. stories, both characters struggle for their sense of survival through independence. “It's a physical need, stronger than thirst or sex. Halfway, on the left side of my head,.".