Footsteps Of Time: Eb Whites Once More To The Lake

624 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Importance of human memory

Dombroski 1

Lisa Dombroski

Prof. Harrison

English 101

18 September 2000

Footsteps of Time

E.B. White's essay, Once More to the Lake demonstrate his own security in consistency from growing up on into adulthood. White begins to set the stage mid way through the first paragraph, mentioning that he and his father "returned [to the lake] summer after summer- always on August 1 for one month" followed up by the fact that "has since become a salt-water man," longing to one day return to the "holy spot." This trip back to the lake brings back a great deal of memories, as if there "[had] been no passage of time." It is on this trip that White begins to realize that his son seems to possess the same enthusiasm that he did when White was a boy. To White, all of this is a shock because now his role is now reversed from a flamboyant and energized child to an observational parent, as he remembered his father.

This vacation spot White describes through memories of his boyhood days always seemed to be so wonderful no matter what had gone wrong. White recalls the time when "[his] father rolled over in a canoe" and another time when "[they] all got ringworm" but none of this mattered in the long run, after all, this was the best place on earth. To White the mountain lake is seen as "constant and trustworthy", and on the trip back there with his own son, White wondered if "time would have marred" the appearance of the lake. Thoughts of the time spent there summer after summer continued to revisit White throughout the trip and everything from thunderstorms to the stillness of the water

Dombroski 2

was seen as a work of art, falling into place and creating an illusion as if it were known what was to follow.

White's son acted in the same manner as White did back when he was a young boy, recalling how "I was always the first up" and now, he lay still in bed while his son snuck out early in the morning headed down to the lake. Having seen this anxiety in his son, White "began to sustain the illusion that he was I." Many times during their trip White would feel confused, unable to distinguish who he was, a father with his son, or him with his own father. In a way this means a great deal to White, because now he and his son share a bond, very similar to White and his dad and can enjoy this haven together over the years.

Show More
Related

  • Setting in Greasy Lake by T. Coraghessan Boyle

    821 Words  | 2 Pages

    The lake itself plays a major role throughout the story, as it mirrors the characters almost exactly. For example, the lake is described as being “fetid and murky, the mud banks glittering with broken glass and strewn with beer cans” (125). The characters are also described as being “greasy” or “dangerous” several times, which ties the lake and the characters together through their similarities. The narrator explains, “We were bad. At night we went up to Greasy Lake” (124). This demonstrates the importance that the surroundings in which the main characters’ choose to be in is extremely important to the image that they reflect. At the beginning of the story, these characters’ images and specifically being “bad” is essentially all that mattered to them. “We wore torn up leather jackets…drank gin and grape juice…sniffed glue and ether and what somebody claimed was cocaine” (124). They went out of their ...

    Read More

  • Once More To The Lake Syntax Analysis

    298 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the essay “Once More to the Lake,” E.B. White, uses diction and syntax to reveal the main character’s attitude towards the lake in Maine. He has an uncertain attitude towards the lake throughout the essay because he is unsure of who he is between him and his son. On the ride there White, pondering, remembering old memories, keeps wondering if the lake is going to be the same warm place as it was when he was a kid. The lake is not just an ordinary lake to White, it’s a holy spot, a spot where he grew up every summer. “I wondered how time would have marred this unique, this holy spot-the coves and streams, the hills that the sun set behind, the camps and the paths behind the camps” (29). White’s diction and syntax

    Read More

  • James Mcbride's Identity In The Color Of Water

    847 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the memoir, The color of Water, the author James McBride's life is rawly laid out for the reader. It discusses his life and his search to understand his mother's identity. In understanding who she is, he believes that he will better be able to identify himself and who he is. His memoir involves stories from his mother's and his own point of view, that help the reader understand the hardships that both individuals encountered, and overall how similar their perspectives truly are. Throughout the book, James tells the reader about many different events that took place over the course of his life. There are a select few that truly influenced the path his life took, and the way he sees himself. These major events include James' step father passing

    Read More

  • Comparisons of Helen Maria Williams' A Tour in Switzerland and Lady Morgan's Italy

    1869 Words  | 4 Pages

    Both writers register powerful emotion at seeing the Alps for the first time. Both also make an effort to give this important moment a particular context. Williams stresses the subjective, that is, the importance of the Alps in her own personal 'narrative,' and in this way contextualizes for the reader the emotional rapture, or 'transport,' which she relates to us of the moment of the first view: "It was not without the most powerful emotion that, for the first time, I cast my eyes on that solemn, that majestic vision, the Alps! - how often had the idea of those stupendous mountains filled my heart with enthusiastic awe! - so long, so eagerly, had I desired to contemplate that scene of wonders, that I was unable to trace when first the wish was awakened in my bosom - it seemed from childhood to have m...

    Read More

  • Once More To The Lake 'And Shooting An Elephant' By E. B. White

    1854 Words  | 4 Pages

    Within the essay “Once More to the Lake”, E.B. notes that “I bought myself a couple of bass hooks… returned to the lake… to revisit old haunts… When the others went swimming my son said he was going in… As he buckled the swollen belt, suddenly my groin left the chill of death (White 464). The essay “Once More to the Lake” brings a significant amount of attention towards the author’s attempt to secure personal satisfaction. It becomes quite obvious in the first few paragraphs, that the main character is on this vacation with his son, to recreate the careless feeling he use to have while vacationing with his dad as a child. Even though E.B. does not come out clearly and say it, the author is chasing some type of nostalgic feeling he clearly needs to feel better about life. On each page, White uses comparison and contrast to explain to the reader how the trip resembles the one he use to experience with his dad. By the end of the reading, the father begins to realize his vacation trip with his son will never be the same as the one he has dreamt about. He is no longer a child who can only notice the positive components of life. At this point, the father is an adult who will never have the innocence he once clung too. It takes some reflection for him to finally realize his place as a father in the situation. Comparison and contrast displays the idea that even though everything may look the same, it does not mean it feels the same. This mode rhetoric reflects back to the theme at the end of essay, as it concludes the author’s failed attempt to find some satisfaction from the

    Read More

  • The Color of Water by James McBride

    882 Words  | 2 Pages

    The novel, The Color of Water follows the author and narrator James McBride, and his mother Ruth’s life. It explores their childhood—when they were both embarrassed by their mothers—through the part of their lives where they began to accept themselves for who they are. Moreover, this memoir is quite distinctive as McBride cleverly parallels his story to his mother, Ruth’s story using dual narration. This technique further helps contribute to the theme of self-identity. Throughout the novel, McBride searches for identity and a sense of belonging that derives from his multiracial family. By using two different narrations, McBride gradually establishes his identity and by integrating both narratives at the end, McBride also shows that although both narrators at the beginning had different upbringings, in the end they came together, and understood each other’s perspective.

    Read More

  • The Color of Water, by James McBride

    782 Words  | 2 Pages

    The novel, The Color of Water follows the author and narrator James McBride and his mother Ruth’s life, through their childhood—when they were both embarrassed about their mother—through the part of their lives where they began to accept themself for who they are and became proud of it. Moreover, this memoir is quite distinctive as McBride cleverly parallels his story to his mother, Ruth’s story by using dual narration which further helps to contribute to the theme of self-identity. Throughout the novel, McBride searches for identity and a sense of self that derives from his multiracial family and through the use of two different narrations, McBride slowly establishes his identity. Plus by integrating both narratives at the end, McBride also shows that although both narrators at the beginning had different upbringing, in the end they come together and understand each other’s perspective.

    Read More

  • Tension and Suspense in Monkey's Paw

    557 Words  | 2 Pages

    that Mr White is not as connected to the family as the mother and son.

    Read More

  • An Analysis of Ernest Hemmingway's Hills Like White Elephants

    1128 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills like White Elephants” tells the tale of a man and a woman, who at first might seem to be having a normal and rather dull conversation at a train station, but it is only when you look closer into what is actually being said by the characters and find the small clues that Hemingway cleverly knit into the story, that you realize how heavy the conversation actually is. Unlike many authors, Hemingway leaves it to the reader to delve deeper into the story and decipher the situation for themselves, and a seemingly simple story can become something so much more. The woman in the story is contemplating whether to stick to the life she knows or begin a brand new chapter in her life that could change her relationship with the man forever. Sometimes one’s true intentions are not always clear.

    Read More

  • Jane Pittman Autobiography

    1177 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ernest’s early years built him into a strong character. It sculpted him to handle harsh or extreme situations. Ernest was forced to do labor on a plantation, ironically, Ernest’s ancestors were raised on the same plantation that he was. Ernest’s Parents were separated when he was young. He was part of the fifth generation of his family to be raised there. He was lifted by his impaired aunt. At the young age of nine he began picking cotton, and he was a student for approximately five to six months out of the year. (“ Twentieth century American literature”).

    Read More

  • The Shining

    930 Words  | 2 Pages

    One motif which reappears in the film is the power of nature, especially in relation to the individual. In fact, the film begins with a majestic shot of the Rocky Mountains showing its beauty and height. The beauty of nature and even friendliness of nature changes as the film develops. As the movie progresses the snow still seems white and pure, almost virgin like, but nature becomes an isolating force, not providing the family with a retreat from the pressures of modern life, but forcing the family to turn in on its dysfunctional and psychopathic self. Imprisoned by the snow and the tall mountains , the family seems weak and vulnerable.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Abortion

    1594 Words  | 4 Pages

    Abortion has always been a hard decision for a women to have to make. Mainly because people have always viewed abortion as either morally wrong or not wrong at all. Everyone has different thoughts and concerns when it comes to abortion. There are a numerous amount of reasons why a women has to choose abortion, whether it be rape, the feeling of being unprepared, not ready age wise or their life is in danger, whatever the case may be it should be their choice.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Abortion

    1142 Words  | 3 Pages

    Being a mother is a lifelong job that requires copious time, energy, and money. There are myriad different reasons in which a woman would consider getting an abortion. The decision is often tragic and painful for the mother. It is one of the biggest choices a woman will make. Many people have strong beliefs about abortion, and if a mother makes a decision that they do not agree with they sometimes turn against the mother, and enkindle egregious feelings about their decision for the rest of their life. Indeed a woman may not get an abortion for selfish reasons or out of convenience, but out of a desire to protect certain important values such as her own health or a decent standard of living for the other members of the family. Additional intentions for having abortion include rape, financial difficulties, obligation by family members, or danger to the baby’s health (Roleff

    Read More

  • Kaiser Permanente: SWOT Analysis Of Kaiser Permanente

    1203 Words  | 3 Pages

    Innovative Culture: Our innovative culture would help us produce unique products and services to meet the needs of customers/ consumers needs. Also, our innovative culture would attract providers in the area. The Kaiser Permanente culture also promotes organizational learning through in-house journal,

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Once More To The Lake

    795 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “Once More to the Lake,” E.B. White expresses a sense of wonder when he revisits a place that has significant memories. Upon revisiting the lake he once knew so well, White realizes that even though things in his life have changed, namely he is now the father returning with his son, the lake still remains the same. Physically being back at the lake, White faces an internal process of comparing his memory of the lake as a child, to his experience with his son. Throughout this reflection, White efficiently uses imagery, repetition, and tone to enhance his essay.

    Read More

More about Footsteps Of Time: Eb Whites Once More To The Lake

Open Document