Eustace Conway: The Last American Man

Last American Man
Eustace Conway is connected to nature in a way that most of us can only dream about. He is a man who is driven to not only live off the land but to be a part of it. He finds solace there; it is the one thing that he can feel comfortable with. There are five life changing incidents that made Eustace Conway who he is: His Father, The students and teachers in his school, his mentor Alan Stout, his interaction with the drunken locals in the south and his horse Hobo. Eustace Conway and his Father Eustace Sr. had a very positive relationship before little Eustace was old enough to attend school. The two of them would go out into the woods behind the house where the elder would educate the younger on birds, plants and animals.
However their relationship took a turn for the worse when Eustace was old enough to get a formal education. His father demanded so much of Eustace, demanding that he be as smart as his father on the same topics that his father loved. Eustace however was smart; his father just didn't know who his son was and the things he was educating himself in. Eustace did a large amount of studying on his own. One can assume to impress his father subconsciously; however his Father did not see it. "You are stupid, ‘Eustace recalled his father saying' I have never seen a child more dimwitted. I don't know how I could have sired so idiotic of a son… I believe you are simply incompetent and will never learn anything" (30).
This drove Eustace to learn more, to bridge the gap that had formed in their relationship.
Things weren't only problematic at home but also at school Teachers would get upset at him for staring out the window and he would get upset at his classmates "What A waste of time…what a waste of paper" (27) when he saw that his fellow classmates would only write on one side of a piece of paper or see them breaking pencils on purpose in the cafeteria. These are the type of people who Eustace wanted to educated and he got his chance with a friend Randy and his little brother Warren. This is when Eustace learned to teach and refine his style. It also drove him deeper into the woods. Eustace Conway found an escape from his father, Teachers and pain in the woods. He didn't waste time there he became one with his surroundings. "He could spot a turtle hidden in dense camouflage with only one fingernail of a piece of its shell showing" (28). As things got more desperate at home Eustace became more attached to the woods. Alan Stout gave Eustace direction a lesson plan of sorts and Eustace would use the woods in the back yard as his laboratory. Mr. Stout was impressed with Eustace and taught him every chance he could because Eustace was "So Motivated and interested in geology, anthropology, history, and biology- anything you could offer him" (25). Eustace was not interested in a standard education he needed hands on. He needed to touch and breathe what he was
learning. The one defining moment for Eustace Conway the instant that he became who he is today was not how his father treated him it was not his education under Mr. Stout but it was when he was much older. He was living in his teepee when so drunken "rednecks asked Eustace for ammo to finish of a raccoon that they were hunting. "Eustace hated everything about the scene ...dogs baying, the cacophony of gun fire, the ineptitude of the men" (81). That is what he hated the most, "the ineptitude of the men". Eustace could have handled the other distractions. But the incompetence of his fellow man is what drove Eustace away from society, to set up his new life at Turtle Island. Sure he still wanted to educate his fellow man but he needed a way to show his fellow man what they are missing and how to better their lives. Every incident in our lives is there to help us grow, every detour we have to take is set there to better ourselves, but only if we embrace that incident and learn from it can we be lifted to higher spirituality and become more connected with the world around us. Eustace grew and explored him and the woods due to the obstacles that his father placed in front of him. Eustace realized he could teach from how his little brother and Randy hung on every word. He discovered that the woods could be a hospitable place to live from the books given to him by his mother and Mr. Stout. He discovered that just living in the woods wasn't enough for himself from the "rednecks who treed the raccoon and he discovered how to love from a horse that he found on the side of the road named hobo. Up until this point Eustace Conway was detached from things domestic. Sure he had his menagerie, but they were scientific experiments, he had girl friends but they were tests designed to find the perfect life mate. He had deer, and raccoon and squirrel but they were there for sustenance. Hobo was a friend, a close friend that he loved and respected. When hobo died Eustace learned loss and how love should feel. "He clung to Hobo's neck as the horse died, telling him about all the good times they had together and how brave he always was and thanking him"(174). Eustace was becoming more complete as a person he was experiencing life the way it should be experienced and passing that knowledge on to others so they too could enjoy what nature had to offer.