Once More to the Lake: E.B. White
Essay: Once More to the Lake by E. B. White (1898-1985)
About the Essayist
He was a
master of the personal essay, blending humor, insight, and a deep appreciation
for the natural world. Throughout his career, White received numerous awards
and accolades for his writing, including a Pulitzer Prize special citation in
1978.
Central Idea of the Essay
It is an emotional
meditation on memory, the passage of time, and the complexities of human experience.
White's narrative beautifully portrays the timeless nature of certain places,
even as they serve as reminders of the fleeting nature of life.
Meanings of Essay
Written
by E.B. White, "Once More to the Lake" is an essay that reflects
White's memories of visiting the lake as a child and the memories he creates
with his son many years later. White describes
experiencing a sense of childlike wonder that makes him feel like a child and
his father at the same time. E.B. White, author of “Once More to the Lake,” explores
the dynamic relationship between father and son to convey the power of memory
and the inevitable chill of mortality. The
symbol of the dragonfly and the lake creates a sense of duality while
introducing subtle changes throughout the essay.
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 tranquil world of
his childhood and his present existence within it remain the same. The genre
of “Once More to the Lake” is a narrative non-fiction essay written by E.B. White. The essay was
originally published in Harper's Magazine in 1941. The major themes of
"The Lake" by Ray Bradbury are first loves, young deaths,
and finding closure. White makes use of
comparisons in the form of metaphors and similes to enrich the quality of his
descriptions. Throughout the essay, he uses “like” to compare an object with
something dissimilar; these similes lend depth to his writing.
Summary of the Essay
‘‘Once More to the Lake" is a
personal story told by E.B. White about his childhood experiences at the lake
where his father had taken him for an entire month in the summer. At the
beginning of the story. White begins to remember more and more about his
personal experiences at the lake when he was a child. Now, he has revisited the
lake with his son. In this essay, E.B. White narrates a week's visit that he
made with his son to the Maine Lake where he had once gone to celebrate a
vacation as a child with his father.
During his visit with his son, he
walks and fishes with his son. He feels the same experience but with less excitement
than before. Now, excitement and enthusiasm are not as intense as before. Moreover,
he finds that childish delight in his son and tries to quieten himself, internalizing the fact that everything is transitory and subject to fade
away. In the past, White, as a boy, had gone to the Maine Lake to enjoy the
vacation. He and his father stayed there for the whole of August and enjoyed a
simple and peaceful life. They returned there every summer despite getting
ringworms and other such rustic problems.
White with his son visited the lake
after many years. After remembering all the fun and great experiences that he
had, he decided to bring his son to the lake. He hopes that he will enjoy the
lake and make memories. During their journey, he wonders how time might have
changed his feelings and emotions. On his arrival at the lake, things were as
pretty as before, and the environment of the lake had not changed much but in
him, the excitement was not so intense. Previously, he with his father had come
there through a farm wagon. But now they have arrived in their car. So, on this
visit, he misses that pastoral life as well. White feels like a fantasy because
it echoes the serene activities that he had made in Maine Lake as he was with
his father.
The activities of his son provide him with
a calm sensation and make him nostalgic for his childhood when he was
on the Maine lake. The more he views his son's activities, the more he
remembers his childhood visit to the lake. He thinks that time is changeable, so feelings and excitement also change. As he was with his son, the sound of
motors, the three-track road, and the waitress reminded him of those wonderful
times he had as a boy. At present, everything he sees and feels around the lake
makes him remember his childhood visit to the lake. In this way, White revisits
his ideal boyhood vacation spots. He finds great joy in this visit, but
ironically, it makes him feel that he is a grown-up man.
Analysis of the Essay
E.B. White’s essay, Once More to the Lake, which was 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 with his childhood and the lake. In effect, his mindset transforms
and goes back to his childhood. This transformation is necessary for him to
find enjoyment in the journey. However, the transformation also emphasizes an
altered perception of the actual lake. For instance, instead of viewing the
lake as it is, he uses his childhood eyes to perceive the lake. This condition
creates an interesting departure from reality into what he wants to see based
on his childhood experiences. Once More to the Lake is a
depiction of E. B. White’s experience as he visits a lake once again – the lake
that he has been fond of since childhood.
E. B. White’s experience brings him to the lakefront, where he finds
himself staring at the same lake, which is virtually unchanged. This means that
White focuses on unchanging things despite the surrounding changes and the
changes that he experiences in his life. White wants to emphasize the permanence
of some things or at least the permanence of the memory of those things,
despite the never-ending change that happens in the world. Even though the lake
itself has not changed, E. B. White’s essay indicates that there are some
changes in things that are separate from the lake. For example, when White
arrives at the lakefront, he wishes to enjoy the scene and the experience of
being at the lake once again, but he becomes bothered by the noise of the new
boats that are on the lake. The new boats have noisier engines.
E. B. White wants to show that technology can be disruptive. Technology
can, indeed, make things faster and more efficient, but it can also make things
noisier, more disruptive, or undesirable. Thus, White emphasizes the negative
side of new technologies. Nonetheless, as White continues his story, it is
indicated that he has a liking for old engines. This liking started in his
childhood. Even though he first views technology as something disruptive, the
essay also touches on personal perception and preference. For instance, White
does not like the new engines and the noise they make. However, this
dislike could be due to his desire and expectation to see boats with the old
engines that he saw in his childhood.
Some things may not change. All things change based on the underlying
principle that nothing is constant in this world and that every little thing
changes. However, some things may not change, such as the thoughts of a person,
the feelings that one has toward other people, and the longing for something.
E.B. White shows that the lake is unchanged, but this may be only in his
perception. The lake may have already changed when he arrived as an
adult at the lakefront, but his perception of the lake does not change.
This perception and the associated emotions do not change, as he still likes
what he sees and feels.
His experience of being at the lakefront brings him back to his childhood
years when he was a boy experiencing the lake. Considering that White shows
that his perception switches between that of an adult and that of a boy,
it is arguable that his experience of the lake as an adult is marred by such
switching between perceptions. The actual lake that he revisits may already be different, but his perception, as a boy, does not change, thereby making the
lake only virtually unchanged. Also, the technology that he refers to, in the
form of new and noisier engines, may have been affected by such switching in
his perceptions. It is possible that the new and noisier boats are not
really that disruptive. It is just that he is used to the old and less noisy
ones, thereby making his claims about the new boats personally subjective and
not necessarily real.
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. Also, the lake serves as a venue for reflection. When White goes back to the lake, it facilitates his reflection on 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, supports the idea of the necessity of permanence 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. In this regard, the lake sheds light on the benefit of having some form or degree of permanence in life. This permanence can help anchor the person and their psychological development.
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