The Underneath

“There is nothing lonelier than a cat who has been loved, at least for a while, and then abandoned on the side of the road.”

In the novel’s opening line, Appelt introduces the recurring theme of Cruelty to Animals. She emphasizes humanity's responsibility to the world of animals, both domestic and wild, through anecdotes that showcase the impact of humans’ intentional and accidental cruelty, such as the loneliness of the cat who has been loved and then abandoned.

“Trees are the keepers of stories.”

Appelt introduces the theme of The Mystery and Power of the Forest, characterizing it as animated and aware. The trees not only observe the happenings in the forest, but they also keep a record of these events and are the moral arbiters of right and wrong, occasionally intervening in the lives of humans and animals.

“She felt the ache of it. Here was a song that sounded exactly the way she felt.”

Foreshadowing the bond between the cat and Ranger, the cat identifies with the loneliness of his song. They become family to one another and occupy the roles in each other’s lives that their respective human owners should have filled.