The Matacão serves as setting and metaphor. It provides a unique environment for the story to take place in, being smooth and impenetrable, and located in an otherwise lush forest. The presence of the Matacão creates a sense of oddness, enhancing the magical realist imagery of the story. In addition to solidifying the style of the novel, the Matacão serves as a metaphor for humans’ ecological footprint. Chapter 30 explains: “The Matacão, scientists asserted, had been formed for the most part within the last century, paralleling the development of the more common forms of plastic, polyurethane, and styrofoam” (177). Once strange and wonderful, the Matacão proves to be a dense amalgamation of human trash. At the conclusion of the story, its deterioration harms the forest and the civilized world, adding to Yamashita’s ecological message. 

Yamashita also employs the Matacão to add mystery to the overall plot. The Matacão is the only non-human character to have a dedicated chapter (Chapter 16). The chapter does not depart from the plot but contributes to it. A number of theories are presented regarding the Matacão’s origin: “All of these findings were presented in an

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