The Hedge Maze in Not What She Seems: Symbol of Faye's Deception and Moor Manor's Dark History

What the Hedge Maze Is and Where It Appears in the Story

The hedge maze at Moor Manor is a newly constructed network of sculptured shrubs and plants at the back of the estate, built by a master maze designer at Faye Arden's direction. Faye introduces it to Jacinda in Chapter 11 as a tourism draw, claiming it should boost local business by twenty percent. During a tour of the restored property in Chapter 22, Jacinda observes that the maze is impressive and likely to become a key attraction, noting how it brings a slice of British lifestyle to the Southern estate. The maze replaces the Caretaker's old kiln, a site tied to the property's violent past.

The maze recurs at three key moments. First, it appears as a selling point in Faye's pitch to Jacinda and as a highlight of the Manor tour. Second, it appears in the schematics displayed in Faye's office, which Jacinda studies. Third, and most significantly, it appears in Chapter 40, when Jacinda runs through the forest toward the Manor after learning Faye has captured her mother and sister. The maze greets her as a spiderweb of twists, turns, and dead ends, and she enters it as a shortcut. As she nears the exit, a metal object strikes her head and she loses consciousness.

The Maze as Reinvention and Concealment

The maze is central to Faye's rebranding of the property. The Manor's transformation from Murder Manor to Moor Manor mirrors Faye's own reinvention from Faith Anderson, a high school student who orchestrated the deaths of three girls in Colleton, Nevada, into a respected real estate developer and fiancée of the mayor's father. The maze is a physical manifestation of this reinvention: a beautiful, orderly structure imposed on grounds with a violent history.

Jacinda herself notices the parallel. Looking at the restored Manor, she thinks that if Murder Manor could be reinvented as Moor Manor, maybe there was hope for her yet. The maze, like the Manor's fresh paint and new windows, represents the possibility of transformation. But the novel complicates this hope. The maze's beauty is a facade, and the history it covers remains present. Faye tells Jacinda that there are secrets everywhere and that Moor Manor is no exception, while insisting she remains an open book. The maze embodies this contradiction: a structure that appears transparent and welcoming but is designed to conceal and entrap.

The Maze as Trap

The maze's most significant appearance transforms it from a tourist attraction into a trap. When Jacinda enters the maze in Chapter 40, she hesitates but goes in because it is quicker than circling around. She relies on her memory of the schematics displayed in Faye's office, navigating left at the third bubble shrub and banking a hard right toward the exit. But Faye is one step ahead, always, and is waiting. As Jacinda nears the exit, something metal collides with the side of her face, and she loses consciousness.

This moment reveals the maze's true function. Faye commissioned the maze, knows its layout intimately, and uses it to intercept Jacinda. The maze's twists and dead ends, which seemed charming during the tour, become disorienting and dangerous. Jacinda's confidence in navigating it, her belief that she knows the way through, is precisely what Faye exploits. The maze is Faye's parlor, and Jacinda walks in willingly, echoing the spider-and-fly imagery Jacinda later invokes while moving through the Manor.

The Maze and the Manor's Dark History

The maze is built on grounds saturated with violence. The Manor's history includes its use as a makeshift hospital after the Union took it over and later as a medical and mental facility where murderous doctors were rumored to experiment on vulnerable patients. The Caretaker, a figure of local legend, committed murders on the property. The maze replaces the Caretaker's kiln, but the violence of the past is not erased; it is covered over.

Faye is drawn to this history. She tells Jacinda she likes the macabre and plans to use the Manor's dark past as fodder for tourism. The maze is part of this commodification of horror. But the novel suggests that the past cannot be safely packaged. Faye's own past, the murders in Colleton, catches up with her, and the maze becomes the site of her violence against Jacinda. The maze thus represents the impossibility of fully erasing a violent history; the past remains, just beneath the surface.

Character Connections

Faye Arden / Faith Anderson: The maze is Faye's creation, and it reflects her nature. Its beautiful exterior hides danger, just as her charming persona conceals her murderous history. She controls the maze's design and uses it to ambush Jacinda. The maze is also a symbol of her hubris; she believes she can control the narratives and spaces around her, but her schemes ultimately unravel.

Jacinda Jac Brodie: The maze is where Jacinda is most vulnerable. She enters it believing she can navigate it, relying on her memory of the schematics. This mirrors her broader confidence in her ability to uncover the truth about Faye. The maze ambush is a humbling moment, a reminder that her pursuit of truth has made her predictable and exposed.

Montavious Brodie Sr.: Jacinda's grandfather investigated the Colleton case and was killed by Faye after he overheard her mention Colleton. His investigation is what draws Jacinda into the maze's orbit. The maze, as part of Faye's property, is a site where the grandfather's legacy of truth-seeking intersects with Faye's need to suppress the past.

Theme Connections

Identity concealment and reinvention: The maze is a physical symbol of Faye's reinvention. Just as she has constructed a new identity, she has constructed a new landscape on the Manor's grounds. The maze's orderly paths suggest control, but they conceal the violence beneath.

Good intentions as a path to destruction: The novel's epigraph, The road to hell is paved with good intentions, applies to the maze. Faye presents the maze as a gift to the community, a tourist attraction that will boost the local economy. But it becomes a site of violence. Similarly, Jacinda's intention to save her family leads her into the maze, where she is ambushed.

The cost of truth-seeking: Jacinda's determination to expose Faye leads her into the maze. The maze is where her investigation nearly ends. The cost of truth-seeking is physical danger, and the maze is where that danger materializes.

Repressed memory and the unreliability of self-knowledge: Jacinda navigates the maze by memory, recalling the schematics from Faye's office. But her memory is not enough; Faye has anticipated her. The maze suggests that memory and knowledge can be incomplete or weaponized against the seeker.

Study Questions with Answers

1. How does the hedge maze function differently in the tour scene and the ambush scene?

In the tour scene, the maze is a tourist attraction, a source of community excitement, and a symbol of the Manor's successful reinvention. Jacinda and Sawyer admire it, and Faye guides the group through it as part of the restoration showcase. In the ambush scene, the maze becomes a trap. Jacinda enters it as a shortcut to reach her family, relying on her memory of the schematics, but Faye is waiting and strikes her as she nears the exit. The same structure that seemed charming and benign becomes a site of violence, revealing the maze's true function as a controlled space where Faye can intercept intruders.

2. What does the maze reveal about Faye's character?

The maze reveals Faye's need for control and her capacity for deception. She commissions the maze as a public attraction, presenting it as a gift to the community, but she also uses it as a tactical advantage, knowing its layout well enough to ambush Jacinda. The maze's beautiful exterior and hidden dangers mirror Faye's own persona, charming and well-liked in town, but capable of murder. The maze also shows her foresight: she has schematics displayed in her office, and she anticipates that Jacinda might use the maze as a shortcut.

3. How does the maze connect to the Manor's history of violence?

The maze is built on grounds with a long history of violence, including the Caretaker's murders and the abuse of patients in the former medical and mental facilities. The maze replaces the Caretaker's kiln, suggesting an attempt to cover over or repurpose the site of past horrors. But the violence resurfaces: Faye, who is drawn to the macabre, uses the maze as a site of attack. The maze thus represents the impossibility of fully erasing a violent past; the history remains, just beneath the surface.

4. In what ways does the maze symbolize Jacinda's vulnerability and her pursuit of truth?

The maze symbolizes Jacinda's vulnerability because it is where she is physically overpowered. She enters it believing she can navigate it, relying on her memory of the schematics, but Faye has anticipated her move. The ambush is a reminder that Jacinda's confidence in her own knowledge is misplaced. The maze also symbolizes her pursuit of truth: she enters it to reach her family and expose Faye, but the pursuit of truth leads her into danger. The maze's twists and dead ends mirror the investigation itself, full of false leads and hidden traps.