Arcadia

“Naked children darted on the fringes of camp, their skin rough with goosebumps. The men built a bonfire, tuned guitars, started suppers of vegetable stews and pancakes. The women washed clothes and linens in the frigid river, beating wet fabric against the rocks. In the last light, shadows grew from their knees and the current sparked with suds.”

This quote comprises Hannah and Abe’s first impression of Arcadia. The naked children symbolize freedom, as they lack the shame that informs larger society, while the working adults symbolize collaboration, a return to nature.

“Over Abe’s shoulder, far atop the hill, the heaped brick shadow of Arcadia House looms. In the wind, the tarps over the rotted roof suck against the beams and blow out, a beast’s panting belly. The half-glassed windows are open mouths, the full-glassed are eyes fixed on Bit. He looks away.”

The Arcadia House, a dilapidated mansion, provides a juxtaposition to Arcadia’s otherwise idyllic framing. In this quote, the mansion is described as an unnerving beast, a use of symbolism that reveals Arcadia is not as it seems.

“For a hello, Hannah rests her cheek in the crook of Abe’s neck for a moment and kisses Bit gently on the forehead. Like a sigh into breath, life releases into life. Hannah turns to stoke the woodstove. Abe fixes the drafty chink where he had built the lean-to against the Bread Truck. They eat dinner and Abe plays a tune on the harmonica and when night falls all three curl on the pallet together, and Bit sleeps, a hickory nut within the shell of his parents.”

This quote captures the intimacy of Bit’s family. Arcadia is a setting that encourages autonomy so radical that these ties are not necessarily honored. However, this quote highlights the humanity of family, especially in the upbringing of a child whose physical and emotional safety rely on their parents. Bit fits in with his parents like a hickory nut in a shell; this simile emphasizes the importance of parental protection.