Decisions In Merna Summers's The Skating Party Summer

Imagine having to choose which of two people you love more and in the end your decision leading to one of their deaths. The Skating Party is a short story written by Merna Summers. When a young man can’t decide which lady he is truly in love with, a situation arises where he needs to choose between forced love and true love. Uncle Nathan has many decisions that he has to make, but time is running out and he has to choose which sister he will save. The Skating Party uses components such as rabbit fur, a farm and an ancient stone man to symbolize important decisions that Nathan needs to make. The rabbit fur on Eunice’s dress uncovers what uncle Nathan was hiding this whole time and symbolizes truth. The farm represents Nathan’s laid back decisions

and tranquility. The ancient stone man on the hill signifies Nathan and how easily he can fall apart. The rabbit fur, farm and stone man in The Skating Party have symbolical meaning towards Nathan’s decisions, but who he saves in the end all depends on Nathan's true desires.
The first example of a symbol in The Skating Party is the rabbit fur on Eunice’s dress and it symbolizes truth. Delia makes Eunice a rabbit fur dress for her engagement party, but they get into a disagreement and Nathan requests that they go out for a skate. Shortly after, their voices are heard yelling in the darkness. Nathan and the others approach them, Summers writes, “But I could see their hands on the edge of the ice. ‘he said.’ The one pair of arms had white fur around them. And I reached for the other pair” (Summers 200). Uncle Nathan claimed that he did not know which sister he was saving at the skating party. However, in the end of the story, uncle Nathan tells his niece that he could distinct between the hands of the two ladies and he purposefully went for the other pair of hands. The fur has a significant meaning in this story, it symbolizes truth and reveals that the truth is usually covered by a lie. Nathan did not save Delia because of destiny, but because of choice. The rabbit fur on Eunice’s cuff is a very significant part of the story and it also reveals Nathan’s true desire and that he had loved Delia more because he had saved her instead. Uncle Nathan has been telling his family that saving Delia over Eunice was just luck, but the rabbit fur on Eunice’s dress says otherwise.
The second example of a symbol in the story is the farm where the Singleton’s live.

It is peaceful and beautiful there, life is laid back and simple. The farm symbolises tranquility and reflects uncle Nathan’s character. In The Skating Party Summer writes, “ You’ve got no worries on a load of hay, ‘she said.’... take in the clouds in the sky and the bees buzzing in the air and the red topped grasses string in the wind ” (Summers 195). The farm life is much more simpler and relaxing. It is similar to Nathan’s lifestyle and that is why he prefers it over the city. The farm life symbolizes tranquility and reflects uncle Nathan’s character. Uncle Nathan is calm and he makes laid back decisions. For example, when he is faced with choosing between wheat or stone, he prefers not to make the tough decision and says he wants both instead. Another example of when uncle Nathan made a laid back decision is when he sends off Delia and Eunice to go skate in the darkness. He did not think of the consequences he would face when making this decision. Nathan just tried to find the quickest way possible to get them to stop arguing. The farm life is simpler and calmer, it mirrors Uncle Nathan’s desired lifestyle and his decision process in the

story.
The last example of a symbol in The Skating Party is the stone man hill. The stone man is fragile and it symbolizes Nathan’s character. It is an ancient figure in Willow Bunch and it is taken apart by Nathan’s dad who started to grow wheat there instead. Summer writes “It was a case of wheat or stones. And he chose wheat. Which would you have chosen? ‘ I asked Uncle Nathan.’ Which did you want? I wanted both” (Summers 189). Nathan’s father takes apart the stone man very easily, this reflects Nathan and how he internally is not emotionally strong enough to make decisions. It symbolizes uncle Nathan’s character, he is indecisiveness and cold hearted. For example, Nathan has the choice of either stone or wheat and he wanted both. This goes the same for Eunice and Delia, he wants both of them but in the end he could only have one. Uncle Nathan also looks strong but he cannot assert himself. This is like the stone man because it is looks very strong and heavy, but it is also vulnerable so people can take it apart very easily. Uncle Nathan is very much like the stone man, they both appear indestructible, but it’s also easy for them to fall apart.
Eventually it becomes apparent that what uncle Nathan may want is not always what his heart desires. Throughout his experience uncle Nathan learns a lot about himself through self discovery. The Skating Party uses symbols such as lamb fur, a farm and a stone man to reveal uncle Nathan’s character and the reason he made some of his decisions. The lamb fur on Eunice’s dress symbolizes truth and reveals Nathan’s true desire and first true love. The farm where the Singletons live symbolizes tranquility and reflects Nathan’s desired lifestyle. The ancient stone man is another symbol that shows the importance of hard decisions and how easily Nathan can fall apart. The symbols in this story reveal a lot about the main character's personality and the decisions he makes. There is a very important lesson to be learned from Nathan’s experience, and that is that you shouldn’t love the ones who are cherished by others and push the one’s who cherish you away.