The Underland: Symbol of Escape and the Dark Subconscious in Starling House

What Is The Underland?

Literally, The Underland first appears as a nineteenth-century children's picture book written and illustrated by Eleanor Starling. The story follows a girl named Nora Lee who flees a predatory fox by following a river down into a secret subterranean world inhabited by Beasts. The fictional book within Alix E. Harrow’s novel exists as a physical object—Opal owns a mildewed copy that once belonged to her mother, Delilah Jewell Gravely. But The Underland is also a very real supernatural realm: a cavernous space beneath Starling House, accessible through a chained stone door in the cellar. It is a landscape shaped entirely by dreams and nightmares, where Beasts roam and the rules of reality bend.

The term recurs throughout the novel: in Opal’s childhood reading, in the town’s legends, in Arthur’s nightly battles, and in Eleanor Starling’s ghostly monologue. Its meaning shifts from a mere story to a dangerous refuge to a personal domain that the protagonist can rewrite.

How Its Meaning Changes

1. A Book of Escape and Dark Fantasy

For young Opal, The Underland was a beloved story that resonated with her own sense of being trapped and hungry for a different life. She traced the author’s name and dreamed of the house. After her mother’s death, she buried the book, believing she had outgrown fantasies. The book represents a childhood escape that feels selfish and impractical once real-world responsibilities—like caring for Jasper—take over. Yet the book’s imagery lingers in her dreams, refusing to be forgotten.

2. A Real but Hostile Underground Realm

As Opal investigates Starling House, she discovers that The Underland is a physical place beneath the mansion, guarded by Arthur Starling. It is the source of the Beasts that attack the town and the reason the House “chooses” a Warden. In this phase, The Underland is a threat—a realm of trauma, endless battle, and inherited guilt. Arthur sees it as a prison he must defend alone. The dream-world becomes a nightmare.

3. A Domain of Creative Agency and Healing

By the novel’s end, Opal learns that The Underland responds to its visitor’s dreams and desires. Eleanor Starling once reshaped it into a place of vengeful monsters. Opal, after confronting Eleanor, realizes she can transform the realm. She creates a room that feels like home and persuades Eleanor to release her hold. Then she enters Arthur’s personal Underland—a frozen battlefield of his childhood—and by taking his hand and telling him the war is over, she makes flowers bloom. The Underland evolves from a site of terror into a space for healing, forgiveness, and new beginnings. It becomes Opal’s domain, reflecting her love and hope.

Character Connections

Character	Relationship to The Underland
Opal Gravely	As a child, reads the book obsessively; as an adult, dreams of the house and later physically enters Underland. She ultimately reshapes it, claiming it as her own.
Arthur Starling	The current Warden, duty-bound to fight Beasts in Underland. His personal version is a frozen battlefield where he endlessly relives his parents’ death. He is trapped by guilt until Opal frees him.
Eleanor Starling	The original creator of the fictional book. After being abused by the Gravely brothers, she flees into Underland and lives there as a ghost, controlling its Beasts for revenge. She represents the dark potential of a dream-world.
Jasper Gravely	Opal’s brother; he appears in Opal’s Underland as a drowned version, symbolizing her fear of failing him.
Elizabeth Baine	The antagonist who seeks to exploit the House; she represents the external threat that forces Opal and Arthur to confront Underland directly.

Theme Connections

Dreams and Reality: The Underland blurs the line between dreaming and waking. Characters enter it through sleep, and their subconscious shapes what they find there. Opal’s ability to change Underland by dreaming shows that imagination can alter reality.
Family and Sacrifice: Arthur sacrifices his freedom to protect others from Underland. Opal’s love for Jasper motivates her to risk entering the realm. Eleanor’s story reveals how family betrayal drove her into the depths.
Home and Belonging: The Underland is initially an escape from a hostile home. For Eleanor, it becomes a permanent home. For Opal, it eventually becomes a place she can share with Arthur, transforming Starling House into a true home.
Intergenerational Trauma: The Gravely family’s abuse echoes across generations. Opal discovers her mother’s past and her own connection to the family. Arthur carries the trauma of his parents’ deaths. The Underland manifests these inherited wounds as Beasts and battlefields.
The Power of Stories: Eleanor’s book creates a literal world. Opal’s retelling of the true story frees Eleanor and redeems the realm. The novel argues that stories shape our realities—for good or ill.

4 Study Questions with Answers

1. How does Opal’s relationship with The Underland change from the beginning to the end of the novel?
In the beginning, Opal sees the book as a childish fantasy she has outgrown; she buries it after her mother’s death. Midway, she discovers it is real and dangerous, a place that threatens her and Arthur. By the end, she learns she can reshape it with her dreams and uses that power to heal Arthur and claim Starling House as her home. The Underland shifts from an abandoned story to a tool of empowerment.

2. In what ways does The Underland reflect the theme of “home and belonging”?
For Eleanor Starling, Underland becomes a permanent refuge after the Gravely brothers abuse her—it is the only place where she feels safe, even though it is dark and full of Beasts. For Opal, Underland initially represents the opposite of home: a cold, hostile place. But after she remakes it, it becomes an extension of Starling House, a home she shares with Arthur. The realm thus symbolizes the idea that home is not a fixed location but a space shaped by love and choice.

3. What does Arthur’s personal Underland reveal about his character?
Arthur’s Underland is a frozen battlefield covered in the bodies of past Wardens and victims, including his parents and a drowned version of Opal. He appears as a young boy endlessly fighting Beasts. This landscape shows that Arthur is trapped in a cycle of guilt and duty, reliving the trauma of his parents’ death and his vow to be the last Warden. He cannot stop fighting because he believes the war is his sole purpose. Opal’s intervention—taking his hand and saying the war is over—demonstrates that his self-imposed burden is a nightmare from which he can wake.

4. How does the author use The Underland to explore the “power of stories”?
Eleanor Starling’s book The Underland created a fictional world that becomes literally real. Her written words influence the physical realm, and her illustrations come to life as Beasts. Opal’s act of telling the true story of Eleanor’s suffering convinces Eleanor to release her hold on Underland. Moreover, Opal reshapes the realm by dreaming new details. The novel suggests that stories are not merely entertainment—they have the power to construct realities, heal trauma, and change the world. The epilogue notes that Opal and Arthur are “writing a true story” as they restore the house, emphasizing that their future is a story they author together.