If the narrator could perfectly interchange between identities, he would be like the lake, “eternally regenerative” (Platizky 176). This pausing of time is essential in preserving the strength of the ‘timeless’ connection. An example of this would be the fishing scene at the lake where he states that there had been no years between the firefly he saw in the present and the firefly from the past (White 116). This flow of time is stopped specifically when the narrator describes similarities between past and present. ![]() If the narrator could assume the identities of himself, his father and his son simultaneously, there would be no passage of time. ![]() The eternal connection was conceived in a setting close to the narrator’s heart which allowed for the initial strength. Because of how close he was to the lake, his mind was able to produce an illusion that would be harder to break than if he were to have vacationed to a different location. He didn’t think there was any place in the world similar to that lake (White 114). The narrator wanted to first sustain this illusion because he had idealized the campsite in Maine as a child. This allowed for the strengthening of the connection between the narrator and the son. With this illusion it is possible to stop the flow of time and assume as many identities as the narrator wanted to in this case it would be his father and his son. The son however is the main force that allows for the illusion to sustain itself because he actually exists in the present day. The river in this case refers to both the father and son of the narrator. He says “You cannot step twice into the same river.” The river will give the illusion that you can (Platizky 176). Platizky connects the narrator stepping in and out of different identities and times to a quote from the Greek philosopher Heraclitus. Through it all he was still trying to maintain his own identity by suppressing the creepy sensation. In the past he was imagining himself in the shoes of his son doing all of the actions his son did in the present. In the present time, he was imagining his father saying the words or This was exactly what the narrator was doing. According to Platizky, it is hard to imagine yourself as existing in three separate times in three separate identities. The narrator seemed to be living a dual existence, one which was his son and the other his father (White 116). This starts to occur when he observes his son doing everything the narrator had once done in the past. The narrator is envisioning a scenario that is timeless as possible to avoid the reality that every person is a creature of age. To accomplish this, he tried to create a timeless connection with his son that got strengthened by the illusion that he was his son, but ultimately, because of the contrast of past with present, the connection was ephemeral and deteriorated by the end of their trip. The narrator desperately needed to stop his aging. In the illusion the son acted as a medium to pause time because he represented the narrator’s youth. ![]() The narrator was growing older and wanted to relive the days of his youth and he did so by creating an illusion. The unwavering feeling was the basis for the narrator’s internal struggle with the passage of time. Once this feeling became too strong to ignore, he had to go revisit the lake with his son. One summer afternoon after the progression of many years the narrator gets an unwavering feeling from the restless and fearful nature of the sea water (White 115). This event was one of ritual it was something that happened every summer. White Critical Analysis: Final Draft “Timeless Connection” Reminiscence takes over when the narrator flashes back to the summer of 1904 where his father took him to a lake in Maine. Jithu Alexander “Once More to the Lake” by: E.B.
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