Birches Man and the Natural World Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (line)

Quote #4

One by one he subdued his father's trees (Line 28)

Does it seem like the father or the son has dominion over the natural world? Or is this meant to reveal that the weight of the boy has physical consequences for the straightness of the trees? How would you interpret this line?

Quote #5

And life is too much like a pathless wood (Line 44)

One interpretation of this line is that the speaker has an antagonistic attitude towards nature. What other interpretations can you come up with? Is he talking about direction in life, or a lack thereof? Or is he getting at something more fundamental to human nature?