The Prodigal Summer

Reference

Kingsolver, B, Prodigal Summer

New York, 2000

Summary

The book, Prodigal Summer, explores the happenings of three people during one summer in Appalachia. Kingsolver uses the interesting technique of presenting which perspective is going to be shared, by three different titles. Each headline states an aspect that the three protagonists finds especially important; Predators, Moth Love, and Old Chestnuts.

Deanna Wolfe, a wildlife biologist who observes from a secluded mountain area, recognizes and respects how important Predators are, aiming her the heading 'Predators'. Lusa Landowski, a recent widow, is fascinated by the tiny lives of the insects that surround us, her preference being the moths, granting her 'Moth Love'. Garnett Walker, irritable, old man, perseveres to reestablish the American Chestnut, crossing remains with the blight resistant, Chinese Chestnut, in turn christening his chapters 'Old Chestnuts'.

Deanna meets Eddie Bondo, a young hunter who was brought up upon hating predators, especially the animal whom she respects dearly; coyotes. Throughout the book, she tries to reason that every predator is a population control, trying to prevent another family from being massacred. Down the mountain, Lusa tries to carry-on the farm after the tragic death of her husband, absorbing the landscape which holds millions of creatures and coinciding with her in-laws. In the same town, Garnett tries so hard to tolerate his, apparently, erratic neighbor, Nannie Rawley, who he constantly battles upon the matters of significance, morale, and growth. Although the three do not compliment each other, their summer entwines together no less, becoming a Prodigal Summer.

Branch of Biology

I believe that the main branch of biology is Ecology. The book explores the concepts of how certain changes will effect a species, for better or worse. Deanna's whole fascination on carnivores is based on the fact that they use predation to control populations of thriving herbivores, effectively controlling the world's rodents, insects, etc. Another example would be how sometimes carnivores produce more offspring with hunting, like the coyotes that Kingsolver uses in the book, because of efforts to combat the extinction the species faces.

Lusa's attachment to the land, of how if she could never deforest her property is because of the animals that live there. Without those trees, the creatures would end there, meaning they are totally dependent on that shelter. As well an example is the talk of exotic species in the environment, how the Honey Suckle, the Japanese beetles, the Chestnut blight affected the area, brought in by Humans. Garnett and Nannie's arguments and ponders touched on this. The book in general is a testimony of Ecology.

Significance of the Title

My mind has reason to believe that Kingsolver chose Prodigal Summer as her title as to say that their summer has been very eventful. The adjective 'prodigal' means very abundant or profusely extravagant, so I believe that her title did the book justice.

First Impression

I found that the most interesting sections of the book were when the protagonists would contemplate on nature, how we, humans, affect the environment so drastically. An excellent example would be this section from 'Predators';

"...and full of cockleburs." "Parakeets' revenge, was how she like to think of them. They'd coevolved with an expert seed eater, the Carolina parakeet, which had gone extinct so soon after Europeans settled that little was known about it but this one thing, its favorite food. John James Audubon painted the birds' portrait with their mouths full, feasting among cockleburs..." "...and devouring them until hardly any were left. That was hard to imagine, a scarcity of cockleburs. Now they grabbed the ankles of travelers and spread into fields and farms, roadside ditches, even woodland clearings, trying to teach a lesson that people had forgotten how to know,"(Kingsolver, page 247).

Memorable Passage

This passage depicts how us humans need to think before we destroy, this reason alone is why I picked it. The section takes place on pages 353-354.

"'You could cut down all those trees and make a pile