Creation Stories
The first essay in the collection has to do with the idea of going through difficult times and emerging victoriously. The narrator uses the weather in Tuscon in the month of June to transmit this idea and she does this by describing the scorching heat which lasts a month and makes it impossible to go outside. This heat also affects the vegetation which inevitably whites and dies, leaving behind a landscape that almost looks apocalyptic.
This period of extreme heat is then followed by more mellow weather, a rainy one which brings the landscape back to life. The narrator describes how the trees which were on the brink of collapse are once more filled with flowers and lush green leaves and how people start once more to prowl along the streets and to have a much more positive attitude.
This description is then compared with the normal course of human life. The short period characterized by destruction and extreme heat represents the inevitable difficult moments each person will have to go through. However, as the story suggests, these are just short periods, especially when compared to the length of a person’s life. As such, one should never lose hope and instead, they should look forward to the time when things will go back to normal and happiness will reign once more.
Making Peace
In the essay mentioned above, the narrator talks about her quest of finding true tranquility and happiness. At the beginning of the essay, the narrator described how she used to live in a crowded place in Tuscon, surrounded by a large number of people. This area is described as being chaotic and out of control, a state which makes the narrator feel always on edge and in a state of mental anguish.
The narrator is also unable to connect with any of the people around her, making her feel even more inadequate to live in a crowded area. Eventually, the narrator and her husband move out to the desert and this change of scenery has an immediate effect. The narrator describes the peace she found in solitude and how she has never felt happier.
The message transmitted through this essay is a clear one: one should not be afraid to change if they realize their life is not going the way it should. Even though the prospect of making a change can be scary at first, this will only bring positivity in the long run and will eventually lead to lasting happiness.
How Mr. Dewey Decimal Saved My Life
In this essay, the narrator looks back at her life and the events which influenced her. The narrator mentions how one person who used to work at the school she used to go to was responsible for her later choices in life.
The librarian is described as a wonderful person, interested in the well-being of those around her. The librarian was there for the narrator and tried to encourage her the best she could. Because of her kind words, the narrator found the strength to follow her dreams and to not give up on her intention to become a writer.
Through this essay, the narrator transmits the idea that one should never be afraid to encourage those around them. Even though it may be possible that one’s kind words may not have any effect, one can never know just how much a few kind words can affect a person’s life.
