The Break symbolizes The Formation of Competing Cultures. At the beginning of the novel, the Break is a geographic feature that represents the co-existence between farmers and herders. While the two communities differ greatly in their attitude to work (and to each other), the Break—a natural corridor between farmland and forests that allows the herders’ cattle to reach the river—is a physical demonstration of how these communities live alongside one another. The Break has always been there, representing the time that the communities have lived alongside one another in (relative) harmony.

The enduring nature of the Break also adds significance to Troon’s first major transgression. While the farmer women are visiting the Monument, he plows up the Break and disrupts the status quo. He destroys the symbol of co-existence, a metaphorical precursor to the destructive influence that he will have on the peaceful lives of the people of the Great Plain. Troon cares only about the farmers; he seizes land unilaterally and breaks a long- held accord between the communities for his own gain. 

Without the Break, the herders’ cattle cannot access the river as they once did. This causes a stampede, resulting in the destruction of crops and nearly causing a fight between farmers and herders. Troon refuses to accept responsibility for this, yet the need for a solution is evident. Rather than go to war with Troon, the herders attempt to make a new Break. This new Break is a symbol of the herders’ preference for compromise over conflict. They negotiate with the woodlanders and make a plan, only for the impatient Scagga to burn down the entire West Wood with tragic consequences for the woodlanders who live there. Troon, meanwhile, seizes on the opportunity and plows up the burned wood, adding more land to the farmers’ domain. The failure of the new Break thus speaks to the fragility and difficulty of trying to reestablish co-existence and trust once they are broken.