Living Like Weasels

Dillard is saying more than we should throw ourselves into the one thing we need to survive, she is saying that we should be as tenacious and goal oriented as the weasel, that we should find what makes us happy and hold onto that like the weasel goes for the throat and will not let go. The weasel's only goal and instinct is survival, and everything it does goes back to that goal, and we need to be more interested in what helps us survive and makes us more passionate, like the weasel, because their lives are so uncomplicated.

The sentence about the naturalist indicates the stubborn tenacity of the weasel, and how they hang on despite hardship and pain. They do not give up, and that is what emotion her sentence evokes - one of a little bit of awe - that the animal is so tenacious and stubborn that it takes a dunking to get it to let go of its' prey. She is saying that we could all learn from such tenacity in our own lives.

The mood of paragraph 10 evokes thoughts of lovers, and hate, too. Both strong emotions and that is what effect the sentence has on the mood of the piece. She sees a weasel for the very first time, and it is a very emotional experience for her. It is as if she can see inside the weasel's head, and understand its' motivations, and it is a very intimate look into her and the way she looks at relationships, even with natural objects.

This paragraph shows how much she admires the weasel, and that she wishes she had the same tenacity of spirit. She again uses words and phrases that are reminiscent of lovers, and she says, "I could very calmly go wild," which is funny and telling at the same time. "Going wild" means becoming much simpler and less complicated, and that is why the author wants us to live like weasels, they are uncomplicated and simple, something that can be good for the soul as well as the mind.

References

Dillard, Annie. "Living Like Weasels." Personal Web Site. 2009. 9 March 2009. http://www.sheftman.com/ewrt1a/dillard/weasel.html.