Going Against Nature with T.C. Boyle
Jessica Arroyo
English 116
11 April 2012
Life is hard. There are two things we need to succeed in life. We need to understand that nature is a key player in life, and that it has a greater power over us than we do it. We cannot control nature, nor can we impact what it has in store for us. If nature, such as the weather, decides there’s going to be a storm this weekend, well the best we can do is prepare for it. If nature creates us in one mode, who are we to go against it and try to change our species? If nature decides it’s going to slam a commit into the earth, we are helpless in the matter. Going against nature, or even questioning its methods, has its consequences and the characters of the short stories written by T.C. Boyle seem to know this all too well. Nature is a greater power who demands great respect. It is not a choice in matter, but rather a forced way of life that we have no means to alter, which Boyle convincingly conveys through his stories. In the story “The Swift Passage of Animals”, T.C. Boyle takes us on a “big adventure” (91) in which a new relationship is intended to flourish by a romantic weekend getaway. The nature of the male, Zach, is to impress the young recently divorced woman, Ontario. Though they are already dating, he is still courting her in hopes to further impress her by taking her to “hike the trails and cross-country ski… and then sit at the bar at the lodge till it was time to go to bed”(84), by sharing the experiences with the greatest thing they have in common, their love for nature. Of course, there is more in it for Zach than just enjoying the beauty nature has, he intends on fulfilling the “unspoken promise percolating beneath the simple monosyllable of her assent—going to bed” (84). Zach is using her love of nature to his fullest advantage. Nature is not something to be taken advantage of, as it is not something to be questioned or controlled. Zach, being the dominate “risk-taker” (79) that he believes himself to
English 116
11 April 2012
Life is hard. There are two things we need to succeed in life. We need to understand that nature is a key player in life, and that it has a greater power over us than we do it. We cannot control nature, nor can we impact what it has in store for us. If nature, such as the weather, decides there’s going to be a storm this weekend, well the best we can do is prepare for it. If nature creates us in one mode, who are we to go against it and try to change our species? If nature decides it’s going to slam a commit into the earth, we are helpless in the matter. Going against nature, or even questioning its methods, has its consequences and the characters of the short stories written by T.C. Boyle seem to know this all too well. Nature is a greater power who demands great respect. It is not a choice in matter, but rather a forced way of life that we have no means to alter, which Boyle convincingly conveys through his stories. In the story “The Swift Passage of Animals”, T.C. Boyle takes us on a “big adventure” (91) in which a new relationship is intended to flourish by a romantic weekend getaway. The nature of the male, Zach, is to impress the young recently divorced woman, Ontario. Though they are already dating, he is still courting her in hopes to further impress her by taking her to “hike the trails and cross-country ski… and then sit at the bar at the lodge till it was time to go to bed”(84), by sharing the experiences with the greatest thing they have in common, their love for nature. Of course, there is more in it for Zach than just enjoying the beauty nature has, he intends on fulfilling the “unspoken promise percolating beneath the simple monosyllable of her assent—going to bed” (84). Zach is using her love of nature to his fullest advantage. Nature is not something to be taken advantage of, as it is not something to be questioned or controlled. Zach, being the dominate “risk-taker” (79) that he believes himself to
Cited: Boyle, T.C. Tooth and Claw. New York: Viking, 2006. Blio.com. Blio. 2006. Web. 11 April. 2012.