E. B. White's "Once More to the Lake
Once More to the Lake
"Once More to the Lake" is an essay first published in Harper's Magazine in 1941 by author E. B. White. It chronicles his pilgrimage back to a lakefront resort, Belgrade Lakes, Maine, that he visited as a child.
What is the purpose of “once more to the lake?
What Is the Purpose of “Once More to the Lake”? The purpose of E.B. White’s 1941 essay, “Once More to the Lake,” is to illustrate the way in which White’s trip back to his childhood vacation spot with his son evokes powerful sensory memories: these memories make him acutely aware of his own mortality.
What is EB white trying to say in once more to the lake?
E.B. White's essay “Once More to the Lake” also supports the idea of the necessity of permanence, to some extent, in life. Even though the lake has changed over the years, it remains a lake that the author can visit. It stands as a reminder of his childhood experiences. What is EB White actually comparing in Once More to the Lake?
What is white's purpose in writing once more to the lake?
White's "Once More to the Lake" is a deeply personal essay and clearly has more than one purpose. One reason for writing is to record his memories of a place he loved as a child and the experience of revisiting it as an adult.
What does the lake symbolize in once more to the lake?
Analysis of E. B. White’s “Once More to the Lake”. E.B White’s lake is a symbol of the role of physical spaces in personal development. For example, the essay shows that the lake serves as a setting for familial interactions, especially in the author’s past. In relation, the lake serves as a venue for reflection.
What is the meaning of Once More to the Lake?
E.B. White's 'Once More to the Lake' is a non-linear personal essay about the effects of time on a father and son's relationship.
What is the theme of the essay Once More to the Lake?
The theme of White's essay is the passage of time and the changes that it brings. Returning to the lake after many years with his son, Joe, White confronts multiple changes as he struggles with the illusion that the idyllic world of his childhood, and his present existence within it, remain the same.
What does the last line of Once More to the Lake mean?
In the essay “Once More to the Lake”, E. B. White ends with a mystifying sentence, “As he buckled the swollen belt, suddenly my groin felt the chill of death.” He uses this puzzling conclusion as a metaphor for his sudden realization that he could not escape from time and his confrontation with mortality.
Who is the intended audience for Once More to the Lake?
In the text “Once More to the Lake” author E.B. White focuses on appealing to fathers or even possibly parents in general. The text is eloquently written to ultimately reiterate that change is constant and at some point in life all people will eventually die.
What ideas and images does White repeat throughout his essay?
White emphasizes his feelings of living through his son repeatedly throughout the essay. He also often writes about his sense that no time has passed since the last time he was at the lake, when he was still a child. He does this to show the lake's importance to him as a representation of his childhood.
What is the tone of Once More to the Lake by EB White?
White's use of a nostalgic tone that abruptly changes to a somber one illustrates the cyclic nature of life that everyone is an element of while living amidst a timeless world. White maintains a nostalgic tone throughout the essay.
What is the lake in E.B. White's essay?
E.B White’s lake is a symbol of the role of physical spaces in personal development. For example, the essay shows that the lake serves as a setting for familial interactions, especially in the author’s past. In relation, the lake serves as a venue for reflection. For instance, when White goes back to the lake, it facilitates his reflection ...
Why does White go back to the lake?
For instance, when White goes back to the lake, it facilitates his reflection of change and development. The lake helps him think back and develop a better understanding of his situation. E.B. White’s essay “Once More to the Lake” also supports the idea of the necessity of permanence, to some extent, in life.
What is the essay "Once More to the Lake" about?
In the essay Once More to the Lake, E.B. White describes his experience as he visits the lake of his childhood. (Photo: Public Domain) E.B. White’s essay Once More to the Lake, first published in 1941, describes his experience as he revisits a childhood lake in Maine . This revisiting is a journey in which White delights in memories associated ...
What does White want to emphasize in his essay?
White wants to emphasize the permanence of some things, or at least the memory of some things, despite the continual change that happens in the world. Even though the lake did not change, White’s essay indicates that there are some changes in things that are separate from the lake.
What does White's experience mean?
This means that White considers some things that do not really change in spite of the changes around it and the changes that White experiences in his life. White wants to emphasize the permanence of some things, ...
Why did White not like the new engine?
Thus, even though he first views technology as something disruptive, there is also emphasis on the personal perception factor, which means that White did not like the noise of the new engine and, arguably, did not like the new engine, because of the fact that he wants and expected to see boats with the old engines that he saw in the childhood.
Is White's experience of the lake as an adult marred by such switching between perceptions?
Considering that White shows that his perceptions actually switches from that of an adult and that of a boy, it is arguable that his actual experience of the lake as an adult is marred by such switching between perceptions. Thus, it is possible that the actual lake that he revisits is already different, but his perception, as a boy, ...
What does the setting of the lake and White's childhood associations with the lake demonstrate?
The setting of the lake, and White's childhood associations with the lake, demonstrate that White is denying his own mortality. White's refusal to accept that he is now the father, not the child, demonstrates the theme of man versus himself, since the speaker is facing an internal conflict.
What is the meaning of "once more to the lake"?
E.B. White's 'Once More to the Lake' is a non-linear personal essay about the effects of time on a father and son's relationship. Explore a summary and analysis of the key passages and themes of the personal essay written in 1941. Updated: 10/09/2021
What is the meaning of the essay White is lost to the setting?
In some ways, White is lost to the setting, suffering an identity crisis. The essay moves in a non-linear (non-chronological) way, as White weaves in and out of the past and present, following the flow of his mental process, or as what many would call stream-of-consciousness.
What does White's son's little body mean?
Here, we can see White marveling at his son's 'hard little body.' He is no longer under the illusion that White himself is inhabiting that body. When White watches his young son buckle his belt, White feels the 'chill of death.' That White mentions his son's 'loins' suggests that White is also foreshadowing his son's own future as a father, symbolizing that the father-son cycle shall play on. This sheds light on yet another theme, that of the parent and child.
What is the romantic, rose-colored way of looking at the past?
Nostalgia is a romantic, rose-colored way of looking at the past. This interruption surfaces as he compares how the boats from his childhood sounded compared to modern boats: The only thing that was wrong now, really, was the sound of the place, an unfamiliar nervous sound of the outboard motors.
What is the crisis in White's essay?
In a sense, White may be experiencing what you'd call a mid-life crisis, but by the end of his essay, the crisis is resolved. While time has preserved White's lake, what he calls a 'holy spot,' there were moments that forced White to acknowledge that, indeed, time had passed.
What does White say about his childhood?
Early on, White reflects on his own childhood when his father would take him to the lake. He then explains that now he is taking his own son to that very same lake. Throughout the essay, White describes a dual existence that he experiences when spending time with his son at the lake.
What does White's fishing remind him of?
The fishing, nature gazing, walking through the grass, chasing the insects etc. all remind him of his own zestful childhood and youth. He is different now, devoid of the same energy and hopes. His jumps into the cold waters of the lake, making new friends with fellow visitors as White loses his old friends to desertion and death.
What is the present tense of White's ride to the lake?
In the present tense, White uninteresting rides up to the lake in a whirring car with his son. The romance seems to have been replaced with efficiency. The ambience at the lake has also changed dramatically. The smells are less invigorating and the noises are less stimulating.
Who wrote Once More to the Lake?
Once More to the Lake Summary by E.B. White. This piece of writing is one of White’s most poignant works both because of its skilful narrative and unfettered writing style. White journeys through his memories while making new ones in the present.
Does time freeze in the book of White?
At this point, White realizes that time does not freeze even though the images may repeat in the shape of his young son. As his son grows up, White grows old and weary. As his son reaches his youthful prime, he nears his tired and unflattering end.
Why did White write "Once More to the Lake"?
One reason for writing is to record his memories of a place he loved as a child and the experience of revisiting it as an adult.
What does "once more to the lake" mean?
E.B. White's essay “Once More to the Lake” also supports the idea of the necessity of permanence, to some extent, in life. Even though the lake has changed over the years, it remains a lake that the author can visit. It stands as a reminder of his childhood experiences.
What is the dominant impression of Once More to the Lake?
One may also ask, what is the dominant impression of Once More to the Lake? The dominant impression of the short story concerns the passage of time and how memories fade in the face of change. Adding to these impressions is the role of technology, the eroding nature of memory, and the passage of time changing the way White views his past memories of the lake .