Annie Dillard Summary

Annie Dillard describes two kinds of seeing literal and figurative seeing. Humans tend to interpret patterns and project meaning onto the natural world causing them to see nature in a figurative way through there own perceptions instead of how nature truly is. One must look at the big picture of the universe. It is important to take everything in, and take advantage of every opportunity. She says, “The universe was not made in jest but in solemn incomprehensible earnest” (274).
Throughout the book Annie Dillard exposes us to nature that in the past we happened to overlook. She showed us that nature is not only has a beautiful side to it but also a horrible one as well. In the book chapter 2 Dillard describes her encounter with a book, Space
and Sight by Marius von Senden. Von Senden's book talks about people who underwent cardiac surgery and for the first time where able to see. Their reactions where not as expected. Most of the people where not pleased. Somewhere not happy do to the lack of familiarity in the world or where overwhelmed by all that's out there. One boy would rather tear out his eyes, and some decide simply to shut their eyes and return to a place that is comforting and unaware of the harshness of the world. Annie Dillard, on a much smaller scale, had to struggle with the same problem of how to process what you see when you open your eyes wide. Just like the people who were previously blind the process of her being able to truly see was no different. She struggled to observe her world in a different way to see what she was formerly blinded to. What she found out was that there is both beauty and horror in nature. Her reaction to the world around her, like the reactions of those who were previously blind, shows the reader the difficulty in trying to view the world with an open mind and comprehensible way.
In the book pilgrim at tinker creek she mentions something called the artificial obvious.
. She tells us about when she was young she use to hide pennies for people to find. The book the mountains by Edward Stewart white said that to really see nature you have to “forget the naturally obvious and construct an artificial obvious” this really affected her. It taught her to narrow down what you’re looking for and you would see it. For instance if you are looking for a frog look for patches of green. She mentions that it is hard to see. My eyes account for less than one percent of the weight of my head; I'm bony and dense; I see what I expect. I once spent a full three minutes looking at a bullfrog that was so unexpectedly large I couldn't see it even though a dozen enthusiastic campers were shouting directions. Finally I asked, “What color am I looking for?” and a fellow said, “Green.” When at last I picked out the frog, I saw what painters are up against: the thing wasn't green at all, but the color of wet hickory bark.” (20) Most of the time when seeing is not the same as your personal idea very often it’s not what you expect. Usually it’s not the most obvious of how something will look. In observing as outside of what is obvious, or “the artificial obvious”, one will discover more in front of them, yielding greater rewards, greater enjoyment. Annie Dillard writes about how she believes that experts see those things that others cannot see. She mention about this locals
of a certain place that they do not believe there are any snakes in the area. However, a snake expert notices three bags full (21). Most of the time you cannot see things unless you know what you’re looking for.
Like mention earlier humans tend to see nature in their own perception and not seeing nature as it truly is. Nature at times might seem horrible but what might be perceived as horrible might be beautiful in its own way. In the book she mentions the story about this birds called starlings that where introduced to New York City. They soon increased in numbers. The humans tried to control the problem and they soon labeled them as a pest. The starlings if looked at in another way there flight like she mention can be quite beautiful. Nature can be both beautiful and horrible. “The frog I saw was being sucked by a giant water bug. I had been kneeling on the island grass; when the unrecognizable flap of frog skin settled on the creek bottom, swaying, I stood up and brushed the knees of my pants. I couldn’t catch my breath” (8).This brings up the point that nature is not always what we expect that you have to look at it through an open mind. While walking at the quarry one day Dillard sees a copperhead basking in the sun. She is intrigued and decide to “wait out” the snake. As she continues to study the snake from head to tail, a mosquito lands on the serpent and begins to feed, but the snake doesn’t move. She leaves when the mosquito does, and when she gets home, she consults a book on insects to learn if mosquitoes actually feed on snakes. The book confirms that what she saw was possible, and she begins musing on how each living creature is food for another—how nothing is perfect. she also witness other horrible things to like turtles covered in leeches to a dog walking down the road with a deer's leg in its mouth. To her, the horrible things are just natural process that occur. She realizes that everything becomes corrupted overtime, scarred and blemished in the struggle to survive, but beauty shines despite the imperfections. We should just appreciate the glory of nature.
Tinker Creek has purified Dillard.
It has taught her about beauty and sorrow; it has taught her to see. Throughout her journey she sees a lot of horrible things in nature but also she learned to see the beauty in the smallest of things. She sees a maple key what she mistakes for a UFO. She states that for now own she would see maple keys in everything. “When I see a photograph of earth from space, the planet so startlingly painterly and hung, I will think, maple key. When I shake your hand or meet your eyes I will think, two maple keys. If I am a maple key falling, at least I can twirl.”(273) In order to really see the world, she thinks, in order to be a prophet, you have to do what Ezekiel commanded and "go up into the gaps." (274) In other words, look for the truth of the world in the small, unseen
places. Annie described two kinds of seeing. Through the whole journey we learned how to see with more of an open mind instead of seeing figuratively and being bias. The book showed me that we humans should see the non-human world as a place of beauty. There might be some horrible things that nature brings but even things at first might seem bad and horrible can have another side to it like the starlings. And humans should not only appreciate the big things in a nature but also the small things and that goes not only with appreciating the small things in nature but in your life as well. “The power of seeing most of us can see, but few of us can see what the world has for us. If we were blind, we could not see all the immense beauty that every place has. Thanks to the power of seeing, we can see what nature is preparing for us every season, All those colors that nature is dressed is seen for us, If we could only see more closely we could see that everything that nature has in it has its own beauty. No matter what small particle we see what we have with us is the power of seeing.”