The Host : 2 Questions?

Question

1 : Why did they go to the desert ? ( when they left the car and walked ) it was early in the book ( before page 100 ) .

2 : whats this shield/wall Wanderer uses to stop Melani from doing things . Or is just nothing to wory about ?

Answer 1

1. To find Jared and Jamie. Melanie had remembered that her uncle had told her of a place in the desert where he had a hideout in case anything happened. He had drawn outlines of a rock formation, that would lead her too it, on the back of an old family album. Melanie remembered the formations one by one to help Wanderer find the way.

2. Just like when you have a bad thought you don't like and you push it away, that's what Wanda was doing to Melanie. The shield and wall terms were just metaphors for blocking Melanie out. Wanderer wasn't actually pulling up walls in her head.

Answer 2

1. Wanderer/Melanie go to the desert to search for Jamie and Jared because Melanie believes that her Uncle Jeb left outlines of a rock formation that leads to a hidden underground safety place with other surviving humans that is protected from the souls.  Jamie and Jared would be in this safety place.  Wanderer listens and follows Melanie's directions to go the desert because Wanderer has fallen in love with both Jamie and Jared from a collection of Melanie's memories of them.

2. The shield/wall is what happens when a soul enters a body.  It's not an actual wall; it's just basically the soul not allowing the human to control their body.  Wanderer only allows Melanie to control her body when she is overwhelmed; and even then it is for a short time.  The only full way to have a human in control of their body is for the soul to be removed from the human body.  This also must be done soon or the human will die.

Hope that helps =]

Answer 3

they went to the desert to find Jarod from the memory Mel showed Wanderer. and yeah, you don't need to worry about the shield it is just wanderer wanting privacy and trying to block her out. Nothing special.