What is one conflict that Brian faces in Brian’s Return?
Brian finds himself in conflict with nature as he ventures alone and somewhat unprepared into the wilderness. Nature proves relentless in her attacks against him, sending torrents of rain and billowing winds that harass his dwelling and begin a series of nearly fatal mishaps. The language expresses the hostility of nature toward him, as “the wind was hissing and slashing him with water” almost as it the elements had teamed up against him (par. 34). 2.
Why are the memories of Willow Creek important to Rick Bass? Support your answer with evidence from the text. (2-3 sentences) Rick Bass remembers has strong memories of Willow Creek because it was there that he was able to commune with nature and find himself at one with and yet in awe of something so much greater than himself. The immensity of nature surrounded and pressed him and made him feel the substance of his life in a way he never had before.
His memories of nature cause him to realise that he belongs in the wild and not in civilization, as he writes that the geese “flew away with the last of [his] civility that night” (par. 14). 3. How is the power of nature an important theme in both “Brian’s Return” and “On Willow Creek”? Support your answer with evidence from both selections. (3-5 sentences) Nature has overwhelmed both the characters in different ways.
Brian was overwhelmed with the powerful force of the elements and the danger that is always imminent living bare and unprotected in the wild. Even what Brian brings for protection, his tent, sighs under the pressure of the natural elements (par. 20). The narrator of On Willow Creek feels the power of nature in its vastness, but finds it inspiring. It causes him to feel his tiny insignificance in comparison with nature’s power, as he writes that “all of the hill country’s creatures had helped him” understand this (par. 1).
