My Louisiana Sky

The natural world is a major motif in My Louisiana Sky. It is one of the defining features of the rural town of Saitter, Tiger’s father is very in touch with nature, and the crux of the novel is brought about by natural forces.

Tiger unabashedly loves her hometown: She “loved Saitter. [She] loved the longleaf pines […] the smell of honeysuckle […] and the way a swim in Saitter Creek cooled [her] skin” (15). Even Magnolia comments on how beautiful the nature in Saitter is when she first arrives. Ultimately, this tie to the natural world is one of the things that makes Tiger feel most connected to Saitter. At the end of the novel, she reminisces about the changes she has undergone over the course of the summer while “look[ing] to the tall pines reaching toward [her] Louisiana sky” (200). Tiger belongs to her hometown and the natural world that surrounds it as much as it belongs to her.

Tiger’s father, too, has a strong connection to the natural world. He learned “how to breathe the rhythm of the earth” (17) from his father, and he uses it to tell time and predict the weather based on subtle signs in nature.