The role of ecology in Southern Florida and particularly the Everglades, is the central metaphor for my novel-in-progress, Jaguar. The novel is about a family's disintegration after it moves from Chicago, Illinois to Miami, Florida. The physical outdoors and the supercharged ecosystem of Southern Florida are elements I draw on to mimic the lack of control the narrator feels. As each of the characters attempt to connect with the physical environments that surround them, he or she brings his or her displacement back to the emotional landscape of the family.