Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire

Foxfire is a symbol of community, and the way its attitudes shift toward Verity over the course of the novel illustrates how the town is Navigating Community Hurt, Need, and Healing. When Verity first arrives in the town, she is eager to make the townspeople’s acquaintance and to introduce herself as their new resident witch. She mistakenly believes that they will accept her into their fold simply because she says she is there to help. She quickly learns through Gillian (Gilly) Green that Foxfire does not trust witches or magic at all, and that they have no interest in welcoming Verity. Verity has to combat the town’s distrust throughout the novel, gradually learning to navigate their history of hurt and exploitation and setting aside her ideas of what she thinks they need.

Foxfire’s insular dynamic is, in part, inspired by the town’s secluded location, nestled in a valley at the foot of a mountain in Appalachia. Originally, the town “was built up by a coal mining company drawn to the area by the riches they thought they’d find underneath the soil,” but once “they’d extracted everything they could grab and then some, they moved on to other mines and other hills, leaving this one and its people behind” (1). The town has no economic center of its own, and it is also physically isolated from neighboring towns. The only bridge in and out of the valley has been destroyed, and the villainous Earl rules over it, refusing to let any of the residents pass. Because the town is living in such isolated circumstances, the townspeople have no choice but to rely on one another, and their total self-reliance is furthered through their distrust outsiders, a reaction to Earl’s exploitation of both their vulnerability and generosity.

While Verity finds it difficult to earn Foxfire’s trust and respect, she eventually finds a sense of belonging there, developing the theme of Self-Exploration amid a Small-Town Community. She does not settle in Foxfire for good, but she does form close relationships while there, illustrating how both she and the town have changed. Being in Foxfire teaches her what it means to be a part of a community and how to listen and learn from others’ experiences.