Loren Eiseley explores the theme of the journey of dark descent in collection of essays called The Night Country, particularly in his essay titled “The Places Below.” Along with this comes the imagery of darkness, of “the night country,” which gives the volume its title and unifying theme. The “night country” into which people descend is described as a series of dark caves, tunnels, labyrinths, tombs, basements, and hidden passages by Eiseley. Per Eiseley, we will be drawn to the darkness because: You will be drawn to it by cords of fear and of longing. You will imagine that you are tired of the sunlight; the waters that unnerve you will tug in the ancient recesses of your mind; the midnight will seem restful – you will end by going down (Eiseley, 15) …show more content…
People become tired of the mundane and traditional world of sunshine in which everything in life is put right in front of them to clearly see out in the open. When people are frightened because do not know what is coming next, then they experience an adrenaline rush. Eiseley explores the idea of a world below in his collection of essays called The Night Country. However, does such a world exist, if so, what does it mean, where do we find examples of this sort of dark descent in literature and mythology, how does it relate to traditional journeys of ascent, like Dante’s ascent to heaven, and how does Eiseley approach such a theme in his essay, “The Chresmologue” through the imagery of the mystical work of The Cloud of