Once More to the Lake
With books and several other works that have seemed to define White's work, OMTTL is a complete 180-degree turn from these pre-conceived notions. Personally, I think the strength of this essay is credited to the vivid and raw details White provides us with: "saw him wince slightly as he pulled around his vitals the small, soggy, icy garment". Details like these are what connect the reader to the story, make us think about we put on a wet swim suit and place us back in time to that very uncomfortable and cold moment. In addition to the details, White paints a picture in our minds as well as put scents in out nose. The attention to the senses and imagery enables us to place ourselves in similar situations and become a part of the narrative.
Along with strong and vivid details, the narration style gives the reader a sense of comfortability (not for long though). With a storytelling and recollection style of writing, the reader feels as if he or she is listening to a relative tell of summer vacation while the reader sits in awe and jealousy. Moving forward, another aspect of the story that makes it a great read is the constant moment of nostalgia that both the reader and character get regardless if the reader has been to a lake or not, they are connected to a moment of family togetherness and tranquility. On the flip side, the reader is hit with an atom bomb. This works well in the story (for some, not all) because it adds a dimension of "WTF just happened"? The story begins calm and peaceful, nearly cliché, and progresses as so until the reader is smacked in the face with the death and is left dumbfounded. The sudden change in tempo flips the script and changes the whole dynamic of the story.
A piece out of the narrative that stuck with goes, "We had a good week at the camp...the sun shone endlessly, day after day...the breeze would stir almost imperceptibly outside and the smell of the swamp would drift through the rusty screens". The reason this quote almost embodies the whole essay for me is because it involves the aspect of nostalgia, the heavy sensory details, and a sense of tranquility. For me, it takes me back to the times when I would go camping with my family. We enjoyed the calmness of the open air, the gentle breeze during the day, the cold chills at night. And of course, the scent of the fire and river, probably the most memorable aspect of camping, would inevitably find its way into our tents. The way the quote takes me on a trip to a time in my past is as powerful as quotes get. Pure nostalgia.
