Analysis Of Annie Dillard's Living Like Weasels

Euripides, a famous writer of tragedies in Ancient Greece, stated, “Nothing has more strength than dire necessity” (“Euripides”). Annie Dillard, Pulitzer Prize recipient, shares this theme in her non-fiction narrative “Living Like Weasels.” Through the production of non-fiction narrative essays, paintings, poetry, and books, she influences her audiences to think about life and the environment. In fact, she appreciates nature and its splendor. In “Living Like Weasels,” she contrasts the behavior of humans and animals while evaluating the meaning of life, and she establishes that living by necessity leads to a more fulfilling journey than striving to achieve the American Dream. In “Living Like Weasels,” Dillard encounters a weasel while enjoying the serenity of Hollis Pond in Virginia. During this meeting, she has an epiphany when, “Our eyes locked, and someone threw away the key” (“LIVING”). This intriguing moment lures Dillard to gather research and learn more about this animal. As a result, she discovers that the weasel’s instinctive life emerges as more satisfying than a human’s lifestyle, which focuses on the American Dream. Moreover, the non-fiction narrative states some facts about the habits of the weasel while revealing that man should lead

Utilizing imagery, she creates vivid pictures of this valiant varmint who lives in the moment and fully captures its one necessity. In contrast, she illustrates that mankind fails to embrace the beauty of nature and contributes to its detriment. Furthermore, although mankind has the freedom to choose, he seeks to build meaningless things like concrete highways and houses while filling his time with distractions like drinking alcohol. Therefore, Dillard warns that humankind who seeks the American Dream misses the real meaning of life; ironically, this freedom of choice leads to a life of fruitless decisions and