The Outermost House By Henry Beston Analysis

The Land The theme of man’s unity with and need for the Land dominates both The Outermost House by Henry Beston and A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold. These texts explore the cycles of nature and how they relate to the human spirit. Beston begins his journey to understanding when he is captivated and in awe of his surroundings that he cannot leave Cape Cod, but stays to observe and be a part of the nature all around him. He not only becomes aware of man’s part in the cycles nature, but also gains a sense of peace and stillness along the way. The ideas of loving and caring for the land are prevalent throughout both of these nature novels. Leopold takes this idea step further in discussing the obligation that we have to the
Beston’s original intentions were to spend a short couple weeks on Cape Cod, but “…the beauty and mystery of this earth and outer sea so possessed and held [him] that [he] could not go” (10). Without knowing exactly what was keeping him there, he began to observe and be a part of the wildness nature. Even before he may have known it himself, he feels a deep connection to the Land within a couple weeks, and spends the rest of the year developing a great love and respect for the Land. He discovers the connection between nature and the human spirit, and these two cannot be separated. In the Foreword to his novel, Beston intimates that “Nature is a part of our humanity, and without some awareness and experience of that divine mystery man ceases to be man” (xxxv). Man is a part of nature as nature is a part of man, whether he chooses to acknowledge and develop that ideal is up to him, but he will not be whole without it. Toward the end of his novel, Beston says of man’s relationship with the Land that “To all who love her, who open to her the doors of their veins, she gives of her strength…” (218). If a man chooses to cherish the beauty and life of the Land, then the Land will strengthen, care for, and give life to
In order to do this, mankind must acknowledge the interdependence of each part of the community. In a society that values imperialism and views the Land as a commodity belonging to it, the idea of loving and caring for the Land as a necessity to the health of the entire biota seems unnatural. However this is far from the truth; without a unity between man and the Land, the community does not function as it should. In one of Leopold’s essays, entitled “River of the Mother of God”, he states that “The Land consists of soil, water, plants, and animals, but health is more than a sufficiency of these components. It is a state of vigorous self-renewal in each of them, and in all collectively. Such collective functioning of interdependent parts for the maintenance of the whole is characteristic of an organism” (310). It is therefore humankind’s responsibility to love, cherish, protect, and conserve the Land just as another member of the community. If not, the whole “organism” will not function or have capacity for self-renewal. Leopold goes on to say that “A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise” (224,225). Not only is it right, but essential to preserve the Land, or the entire biotic community will be at stake. This is the main theme behind Leopold’s writings, and the Land Ethic will require man to