11/6/2022 0 Comments White once more to the lakeAgain, the author utilizes personal pronouns which places the reader directly into the mind of the narrator. He then mentions the exact length of each vacation. There was no room for error in his childhood vacations. Furthermore, the specified date of “August 1st" permits one to assume that if the vacation had any other date, it would not be the same as it usually is, and therefore not as special in the eyes of the narrator. Articulated by his obsession with the timing and scheduling of this trip, the narrator finds comfort in routine. It was a tradition of both comfort and necessity. The repetition of "summer after summer” informsa reader that this was an annual vacation. It almost seems militant-as though the vacation is some sort of obligation, not a leisurely getaway with the family. This is one of the opening phrases of the entire story which immediately emphasizes a certain rigidness in routine due to its structure. In emphasis of his denial, when recounting his childhood, the narrator explains, “We returned summer after summer-always on August 1st for one month”(1). The lake has been redefined and will continue to change as time progresses, despite the narrator's rejection of this fact. Despite the pie flavors remaining the same, new memories have been made there, by different people. The country had advanced in terms of technology, which affects everything. While its character may remain the same, numerous families have come and gone, all of whom have different perceptions and thoughts about the location. However, if he were to remove himself from the minor details, like the pie and the lake bather he would realize that the lake has changed. He only notes the similarities between the lake and refuses to acknowledge any differences. He does not want this sacred place to change because he constantly expresses that it seems untouched. Whether it's because he does not want to admit to aging, or because he does not want to see his son grow up, or perhaps because he misses his family vacations. He repeats the phrase in attempts to convince himself of its validity. The narrator repeats these phrases as a coping mechanism, for he denies the passage of time. These phrases repeat a total of five times throughout the short story. He makes this remark about varied situations from a bather in the lake, to the selections of pie at the farmhouse. As the narrator continues to recount his venture, he notes that “there had been no years”(2), then that “there been no passage of time”(2,3). In spite of his presumption, once he arrives with his son, the narrator observes that there is minimal change in the patterns of foliage and ripples on the water. Instead of taking a more positive outlook on what returning to the lake could bring, he presumes that it will be a bad experience, simply because time has passed and the lake has presumably changed. It is not something that will contribute to his well being, rather, it will hurt him. The alternative words that could have preceded "holy spot" range from "improved" to "changed." With this word choice, the writer establishes time as an enemy. By using the word “marred” he infers that time will have damaged his sacred place. This personification conveys time as a character, as its actions affect something else. White structures the sentence so that time is responsible for altering the holy spot. He writes, “I wondered how time would have marred this unique, this holy spot" (White 1). Prior to his arrival, the narrator has a negative mindset about the lake, believing that it has drastically changed for the worse. Order custom essay Once More to the Lake, by E.B White
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