Margaret Atwood's Death By Landscape
Death by Landscape
It is often wondered what an artist was thinking or what message they are trying to convey when they create an unusual or even a masterpieces of art. Now it is also safe to say that such beauty and talent might only be in the eye of the beholder, and many will never appreciate or understand the views that others have towards an artists work. Why do some people find such depth in the simplest of paintings, such as a landscape? Many people connect to paintings or pictures because it takes them somewhere else while they look at it, and they can live in what they see even if it is only for a moment or two. This feeling alone is one that can inevitably make a piece of art so priceless.
Death by Landscape is a beautiful story. Margaret Atwood tells the story of a young girl named Lois, her childhood and …show more content…
adventures growing up with her dear friend Lucy. These two young girls grow up spending their summers at Camp Manitou. Margaret describes the beautiful detail of where Lois and Lucy spend their summers. The details allow you to paint a picture in your mind of this camp, their adventures and even the people that attend the camp with them each summer.
Lois and Lucy are two great friends; they confide and grow with one another. You grow with them as they come back to this camp each summer, and have matured developed and grown closer each year. You come to know their feelings and how they are different based on their families and where they grow up. You come to feel the sensitive nature that both these girls have and how they are such a support for one another, and how they use each other and the camp as an outlet to escape the troubles and pressures of life.
Lucy's life was complicated compared to Lois's. You learn how disappointing Lucy's life becomes each summer. Lucy's parents divorce, remarry, mother is cheating on her stepfather, she does not like any of the new members to her family and she hates Chicago.
When Lucy disappears, you have to wonder if she made the attempt to leave her life willingly, a life that had slowed her down and made her languorous. At the camp Lucy was surrounded by the beauty of the wilderness and not back in the city with her rough family life. Here she was free. If there was something that Lucy wanted to run away from, or escape entirely now was her chance. There is no real proof of what actually happened to Lucy that day, she just disappeared. Whether or not Lucy was consciously or subconsciously aware, she wanted to release herself from the weight and trials life had handed her.
It is hard to say how Lucy's disappearance truly affected Lois while she was younger. The experience was most likely quite traumatic and in life we carry our experiences with us. It is evident that Lois carried this with her.
When Lois is older and her husband passes away, she moved into a condo. Lois explains how the condo detaches her from nature. She does not have a lawn to mow anymore, the only plant life are the ones in pots and for some reason she can be less worrisome in her new environment. She is rejecting elements that play a big part of her youth. Lois is only acceptant to artificial elements of her youth. Lucy played a big part of her youth, for Lucy was her best friend.
I wonder if Margaret wanted us to fill in the blanks for ourselves for this story, for it is easy to do so. Especially when Lucy and Lois are on the cliff and Lucy is "close to the edge", while she comments that it would be quite the dive off of it. At this point you wonder and feel the nervousness that Lois has inside her, for she admits that she has a sharp pain in her midriff, and it is obvious she is worried for a moment that Lucy would jump, only moments after this Lucy is gone.
So what has this event done to Lois's life?
Has this event affected her so long term? What do you make of this story and the event of death in it? What ever happened to Lucy? There are so many "whats" especially because this story has a lot of mystery to it. What do you make of Lois's life when she is older versus how she lived when she was younger?
This story illustrates the threshold between letting go, and living in the past. The fact that Lucy left Lois's life when they were younger, and whatever amount of pain Lois has endured, or confusion, she wants to let go. She is living with the mystery and consistent question in her mind of where Lucy went that day, and why. For a long time Lois must have been restless with the thought of where Lucy's body disappeared to and why no one ever found it. You sense that the question boggled her mind.
"But a dead person is a body; a body occupies space, it exists somewhere. You can see it; you put it in a box and bury it in the ground, and then it's in a box in the ground. But Lucy in not in a box, or in the ground. Because she is nowhere definite, she could be anywhere." (pg
20)
This statement alone allows you to question Lucy's death and sense Lois's frustration with it all. This would be enough to realize that one must let go. If she lets go of the confusion, she can allow herself to enjoy the memories. Lois took those steps of letting go by detaching herself from physical things that reminded her of Lucy. She has moved into her condo and has enjoyed nature and its beauty on an artificial scale. She has pushed these fond memories Lucy on top of her unresolved mystery and that is why Lois has filled her apartment with paintings and pictures of landscapes. She can bring her self back to her youth, and see Lucy in those pictures. This satisfies the fact that she disappeared, but for now she can live with Lois in these painting, these painting come to life and so does Lucy.
"You can't see her exactly, but she's there, in behind the pink stone island or the one behind that. In the picture of the cliff she is hidden by the clutch of fallen rocks towards the bottom .. everyone has to be somewhere, and this is where Lucy is. She is in Lois's apartment, in the holes that open inwards on the wall, not like windows but like doors. She is here. She in entirely alive. (pg20)
It is often wondered what an artist was thinking or what message they are trying to convey when they create an unusual or even a masterpieces of art. Now it is also safe to say that such beauty and talent might only be in the eye of the beholder, and many will never appreciate or understand the views that others have towards an artists work. Why do some people find such depth in the simplest of paintings, such as a landscape? Many people connect to paintings or pictures because it takes them somewhere else while they look at it, and they can live in what they see even if it is only for a moment or two. This feeling alone is one that can inevitably make a piece of art so priceless.
Death by Landscape is a beautiful story. Margaret Atwood tells the story of a young girl named Lois, her childhood and …show more content…
adventures growing up with her dear friend Lucy. These two young girls grow up spending their summers at Camp Manitou. Margaret describes the beautiful detail of where Lois and Lucy spend their summers. The details allow you to paint a picture in your mind of this camp, their adventures and even the people that attend the camp with them each summer.
Lois and Lucy are two great friends; they confide and grow with one another. You grow with them as they come back to this camp each summer, and have matured developed and grown closer each year. You come to know their feelings and how they are different based on their families and where they grow up. You come to feel the sensitive nature that both these girls have and how they are such a support for one another, and how they use each other and the camp as an outlet to escape the troubles and pressures of life.
Lucy's life was complicated compared to Lois's. You learn how disappointing Lucy's life becomes each summer. Lucy's parents divorce, remarry, mother is cheating on her stepfather, she does not like any of the new members to her family and she hates Chicago.
When Lucy disappears, you have to wonder if she made the attempt to leave her life willingly, a life that had slowed her down and made her languorous. At the camp Lucy was surrounded by the beauty of the wilderness and not back in the city with her rough family life. Here she was free. If there was something that Lucy wanted to run away from, or escape entirely now was her chance. There is no real proof of what actually happened to Lucy that day, she just disappeared. Whether or not Lucy was consciously or subconsciously aware, she wanted to release herself from the weight and trials life had handed her.
It is hard to say how Lucy's disappearance truly affected Lois while she was younger. The experience was most likely quite traumatic and in life we carry our experiences with us. It is evident that Lois carried this with her.
When Lois is older and her husband passes away, she moved into a condo. Lois explains how the condo detaches her from nature. She does not have a lawn to mow anymore, the only plant life are the ones in pots and for some reason she can be less worrisome in her new environment. She is rejecting elements that play a big part of her youth. Lois is only acceptant to artificial elements of her youth. Lucy played a big part of her youth, for Lucy was her best friend.
I wonder if Margaret wanted us to fill in the blanks for ourselves for this story, for it is easy to do so. Especially when Lucy and Lois are on the cliff and Lucy is "close to the edge", while she comments that it would be quite the dive off of it. At this point you wonder and feel the nervousness that Lois has inside her, for she admits that she has a sharp pain in her midriff, and it is obvious she is worried for a moment that Lucy would jump, only moments after this Lucy is gone.
So what has this event done to Lois's life?
Has this event affected her so long term? What do you make of this story and the event of death in it? What ever happened to Lucy? There are so many "whats" especially because this story has a lot of mystery to it. What do you make of Lois's life when she is older versus how she lived when she was younger?
This story illustrates the threshold between letting go, and living in the past. The fact that Lucy left Lois's life when they were younger, and whatever amount of pain Lois has endured, or confusion, she wants to let go. She is living with the mystery and consistent question in her mind of where Lucy went that day, and why. For a long time Lois must have been restless with the thought of where Lucy's body disappeared to and why no one ever found it. You sense that the question boggled her mind.
"But a dead person is a body; a body occupies space, it exists somewhere. You can see it; you put it in a box and bury it in the ground, and then it's in a box in the ground. But Lucy in not in a box, or in the ground. Because she is nowhere definite, she could be anywhere." (pg
20)
This statement alone allows you to question Lucy's death and sense Lois's frustration with it all. This would be enough to realize that one must let go. If she lets go of the confusion, she can allow herself to enjoy the memories. Lois took those steps of letting go by detaching herself from physical things that reminded her of Lucy. She has moved into her condo and has enjoyed nature and its beauty on an artificial scale. She has pushed these fond memories Lucy on top of her unresolved mystery and that is why Lois has filled her apartment with paintings and pictures of landscapes. She can bring her self back to her youth, and see Lucy in those pictures. This satisfies the fact that she disappeared, but for now she can live with Lois in these painting, these painting come to life and so does Lucy.
"You can't see her exactly, but she's there, in behind the pink stone island or the one behind that. In the picture of the cliff she is hidden by the clutch of fallen rocks towards the bottom .. everyone has to be somewhere, and this is where Lucy is. She is in Lois's apartment, in the holes that open inwards on the wall, not like windows but like doors. She is here. She in entirely alive. (pg20)