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Walker Percy The Loss Of The Creature Summary

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In Walker Percy’s essay “The Loss of the Creature”, Percy uses examples such as the Grand Canyon, Mexican tourists, and dogfish to identify “creatures” and explain how they are lost. He highlights the fact that the first people to see something are the ones who see it as the most beautiful (Percy 298). Percy uses the Grand Canyon to demonstrate this example as the first person to see the Grand Canyon had no expectations and wasn’t even specifically looking for what he would soon lay eyes on. This creates an authentic experience in which there were no previous expectations or as Percy calls them, “symbolic complex”. I, personally, have never been to the Grand Canyon, but I can certainly describe what it looks like, especially in today’s society where the internet has photographs of everything imaginable for the world to see without actually seeing it. Because of this, upon visiting the Grand Canyon, I have an expectation of exactly what it should look like. This can become a big issue when it comes to postcards and professional pictures as the actual thing likely does not look as it was portrayed by the photographer. Percy explains that authentic sights are those which are more satisfying as people often don’t see them coming which creates a genuine reaction (Percy 302). Through each of his examples, Percy explains how a creature, which is often something incredible, is inevitably lost, as I have experienced first-hand. Vacations are very important in my family, and we
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