Topic > Nature Images in "Out Stealing Horses"

After stabbing Captain Hook in an epic sword fight, Peter Pan gleefully exclaims, "I am youth, I am joy, I am a little bird that has escaped the egg !” This ad shows the relationship between adolescence, happiness and nature, Per Petterson's Out Stealing Horses shows the same connections as James Barrie's Peter Pan; or symbolically.However, while Peter Pan relies on his magic dust to gain these powers, Trond uses his connection to nature, reliving childhood memories to keep this connection to the natural world alive and fresh to establish the complete harmony and resulting synonymous identity that exists between nature and Trond. Trond's profound awareness of nature and the heightened perception that this awareness brings pushes the reader to be more consciously aware of the precious and quieter moments related to the. landscape that we may ignore in our daily interactions with our environment. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Trond's connection to nature, which begins in his childhood, is shown through images that reflect his harmonious relationship with the environment. In his latest adventure with his father, Trond travels through the forests and rides on horseback. His father notices that Trond is uncomfortable in the saddle and tells him to "let [his] hips loose... be part of the horse" (207). He is suggesting that Trond become one with nature instead of fighting it. Trond then says that “[his] body was put together in such a way as to be fit for riding” (207). As Trond abandons himself to the horse's rhythm, he is able to become part of the natural world, which he does with ease. After Trond and his father arrive at the log block, Trond recognizes that he must tie a rope to one of the logs to break the dam. When Trond reaches the dam and begins "jumping from log to log" (216), he exclaims, "I'm flying!" (217). Although Trond is not actually flying, this statement has a deeper meaning. He feels light and free, like a bird, capable not only of appreciating nature, but also of understanding that he has become part of nature itself. Later, as Trond takes the train with his mother to retrieve the money from the bank, he makes many intimate observations about the Glomma River. He observes that "[he] was a friend of water" (227). By calling the river friend, Trond underlines its connection with the landscape. Trond also says, "the [River Glomma] was still within me" (227). He has moved from simple appreciation to integration with what he observes. The river provides a source of security for Trond. After waking up to find that his father was missing, Trond finds himself on the bank of a river and says that "[he] could immerse [himself] in the water... and be the anchor [of the world]" (101 ). Not only are nature and Trond intertwined, but nature is important to Trond because it provides him with strength and stability. These images show a symbiotic relationship between Trond and the land, allowing him to form vivid, sensory memories that he can immerse himself in even into old age. As a result of this harmonious connection, a heightened awareness awakens in Trond, allowing him to savor the precious moments that his consciousness grants him. As he walks through the forest with Jon to steal Barkald's horses, Trond notices “the sweet, sharp, all-pervading smell of something greater than ourselves…the forest” (22). Trond's amazement and respect for nature arise from the simple smell of the forest, which for him is much more than.