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One thing you should always notice in literature is that storms are more than just storms. What does this particular storm symbolize?
"Yet he had seen unbelievable things before, came the answer. And he had run from them." What is this referring to, and who provided the answer?
"The stream at its base dropped into the lake as if a spell had been broken." What spell was broken? How was it broken?
What do Ida Paine's cryptic words mean now?
Why does Edgar decide that he will not give commands anymore?
8 comments:
This storm symbolized his feeling of uncertainly. A storm of this size could only mean that he hasn't come to peace with his thoughts.
Edgar decided that he won't give anymore command because of he new resolved. In my opinion this is a resolution in this story.
The answer, "Yet he had seen unbelievable things before and he had run from them", was provided by Edgar. When he said this he was talking about his dads death, and later Dr.Papineau died in the same general area. At first I don't think Edgar believed his dad actually wasn't there anymore, and then when it happened to Dr.Papineau Edgar just couldn't handle it.That is when Edgar ran away from those two unbelievable tragedies.
When Edgar had visited Ida Paine, she had told him “don’t you come back, not for nothing. Don’t let the wind change your mind. It’s just wind, that’s all” (306). When Edgar and Henry were driving to Thunder Bay, they stopped at a lake and took a break. When a giant storm rolled in, they had to take cover in the little caves. The wind made Edgar think more and more of home. He tried to convince himself to not go back. He kept thinking about Ida’s words. He then decided to have Henry turn back around and go back to his house. From there, Edgar would walk back to his homeland. I think that something bad might happen, because of Ida’s words.
The storm is symbolic of how far Edgar has gone and as far as fate is allowing him to go. The storm appears as a physical reminder that there is a trouble behind him, lingering in his past. Edgar decides to return home to confront Claude, indicating that injustice is still heavy in the air. The air before a storm is heavy and the clouds looming in could be a reflection of Edgar's emotions, his hatred is masked by a calm front.
Why are storms always symbolic of something uncertain? Why can't it just be a storm of wind currents and lightning. Troubling times in the past or future. This could be symbolic of Edgar's troubling past, that no matter how far he goes his past will always follow.
Edgar decides to stop giving commands because his dogs are now able to make their own choices. They are fully self-aware and capable of choosing their own paths. John Sawtelle's dream of dogs able to make decisions for themselves has been realized. Essay choose to risk her life and defend the tornado despite Edgar's commands. Tinder and Bamboo decided they would live with Henry. Edgar knows he must acknowledge their choices and can no longer command anything of them.
When Edgar asks if he has that rare thing, he is addressing the old farmer’s ghost and the rare thing is the ability to be good at something you love to do. Later, the storm that the group encounters while Edgar is running away to Canada symbolizes the conflict in his mind. Ida Paine’s message to Edgar is clear now. She told him not to come back home because the wind doesn’t mean anything. The storm is the wind and Edgar decides to ignore Ida Paine’s message and go back. He knows he shouldn’t return home but he still can’t convince himself to abandon his responsibilities to the kennel.
One of the unbelievable things he had seen before is Gar’s ghost. He was too shocked to properly take advantage of the fact that he was seeing father again and so he shrank away from his presence.
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