The Apothecary

When Janie goes to meet her parents at Riverton Studios in London, she enters the set for the television show for which they write. The set depicts Sherwood Forest, the home of legendary English hero Robin Hood, a fabled English brigand known for battling corruption, robbing from the rich to feed the poor, and defending the powerless and oppressed. The set is a motif that highlights The Power of Loyalty in addition to the work in which Janie’s group of friends engage. Like Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men, who experience a strong sense of brotherhood, Janie, Benjamin, Pip, Vili, Jin Lo, and Burrows share a camaraderie that makes them unquestioningly faithful to one another. The children, especially, are willing to sacrifice their own safety to protect each other, perhaps the most powerful test of their fidelity.

In addition, Robin Hood is known for having a strong moral compass, one that endangers him when he opposes corrupt forces. Similarly, the Burrowses’ strong sense of morality leads them to oppose corrupt Soviet forces, including the traitorous Danby, making choices that expose them to danger. Janie compares Benjamin to “a real Robin Hood, not a fake one” (50).