Out Stealing Horses Analysis

Out Stealing Horses In all based coming of age stories, they have similar styles and forms that they are written in, Out Stealing Horses by Per Peterson is a book about coming of age, Though, instead of having the character start off in his early years, they start off with the character’s old years. A 67-year-old man who has isolated himself from the world only to have flashbacks and memories of his younger self, that brings him back to the grief and loneliness he thought he has forgotten about. Trond has come a long way to learn and understand what has gone through in his life that he thought he has forgotten. However, throughout the novel, I find that one chapter shows a huge shift in the story on Old Trond’s life where he comes aware and
The thoughts and feelings that he felt without realizing them up until his old times caught back up to him. As Young Trond got up and prepared himself for a walk, he walked the woods “south instead of north the way [he] usually” takes, he did not feel like the person he once was taking a different road I thought (Peterson 102). At this moment, I felt a shift in the story take place because it all starts changing even through just one choice that was made to take a different road started it all. As Young Trond walked the woods “life had shifted its weight from one point to another, from one leg to the other” and he “did not feel like the person [he] had been when [his] day began” (102). This shows how the feeling he had at this moment, he has not felt in a long time. He does not know what this feeling is thinking about it now or where it will bring him to, but the realization of this feeling brought out a shift in the story. However, a changing point for Trond is that he is going through the situation without realizing it all happening. The emotions that he left behind are starting to catch back up to him and realizing what he is feeling now; he did not feel in his youth time. Trying to understand this feeling and what he truly felt that day walking in the woods, it brings out this illumination
As Trond states; “did not look back again, just went across the flat field” and that “itched” in his throat that hurt, but if he “swallowed hard [he] could keep it down” (109). This “itch” I saw as him fighting his thoughts or saying towards what he saw. Trying to hold back from going against his words and to just accept it as it is. This is what gave him the different views of things and accepting things how they were not hiding them to think what you want it to be. How the “air was changed and the sunshine came down over the ridge” (109). It was this breath of new air somehow like as if he was reborn and that he finally found the light towards understanding and awareness for himself changed the way he thinks or see things as. That is what made him change the normal day and instead of going home and taking the bread out of the tin and buttering up a slice for himself, he instead went over to Franz’s place and had breakfast with him. Realizing from this event, it was this moment in his Old Trond years that he should have gone after the truth and not just what he tried to convince himself what the truth