I think that Dillard has a more prominent meaning, though, in her final paragraph where she argues for you to "grab your one necessity." I think that people should have a passion that they pursue until their very last breath. By dedicating ourselves to that one calling, we are not like that weasel. I can't tell if the author is trying to relate the weasel's violence as his one necessity or if the author is trying to prove that the weasel is not human because the weasel cannot choose what its necessity is. Should we choose to dedicate ourselves to one calling, however, we will find something cannot be stripped from our person.
I am confused with "I would like to live as I should, as the weasel lives as he should." Where is the should involved? Because we're humans we should live by choice instead of necessity simply because we have the option? The weasel should focus on finding its next meal and where to lay his head because that's how things "should be"? Is Dillard arguing that we live in the moment, "remembering nothing"? I suppose it would be favorable to be able to forget the past and just move forward but we are a bundle of experiences; we learn by associating things with other things.
I like Dillard's connection to the weasel,it provides a fresh look at the human experience as compared to an animal in a non-cliche way (such as a pride of lions or murder of crows). I think that the heavy description in the specific memory provides a clear picture of the scene, puts the reader in the moment which makes her reflection all that more relevant to her image. I want to get better at providing a descriptive scene so I'll definitely take note of some of her concrete details (bright blow to the brain, plugged into another tape) in my attempts at creative non-fiction.
This focuses a little more on the ideas rather than on the writing, but I think -- lurking -- you're implying that her abstract idea, connected metaphorically with the weasel, isn't always as clear or well-though-out as it could be.
ReplyDeleteI've always seen her message not as one that says "care about nothing" but instead as one that tells us to care so much, without fear or reservation, that you grab onto that thing you care about and then soar where it takes you. Then again, does the metaphor break down? Since the weasel is grabbing onto something in a moment of violence and predatory behavior . . .