Once More To The Lake Summary

“Keep all special thoughts and memories for lifetimes to come. Share these keepsakes with others to inspire hope and build from the past, which can bridge to the future.” Returning to a place where one once experienced an event after several years, allows for the regeneration of memories, specifically those from childhood. The article “Once More to the Lake” written by E.B. White, shares a story about a man, who goes back to the lake that he visited every summer with his Dad when he was a child. Now, as a father himself, he ventures back with his own son. The story takes the reader down memory lane with the adult man reminiscing about his childhood, as the sights, sounds, and smells of the woods bring back fond memories. Although time has

elapsed, the memory of how it felt to be a child exploring the lake and nearby surroundings has not for the adult man. Therefore, E.B. White’s article “Once More to the Lake” shows the audience that revisiting childhood haunts can evoke precious memories that remind one to be carefree and adventurous as a child.
First, the idea that childhood memories remind one to be carefree is presented when the article states the summer seeming endless as a child, “ Summertime, oh summertime, pattern of life indelible, the fade proof lake, the woods unshatterable, the pasture with the sweet fern and the juniper forever and ever, summer without end.” “In a child’s eye,” time has no meaning; therefore, children have the ability to be carefree. Additionally, children are free from pressing commitments and deadlines so summer can be seen as endless from the perspective of a child. In addition, the idea, time seeming endless, can also be portrayed when E. B. White writes about the lake always being in the same place, and the same distance from the dock. In the context of the piece this shows how time stands still. Time is of the essence always seeming to linger out to a child. Although the telling of the story showcases the adults point of view, flashbacks allow the reader to experience the adults childhood years, and time stands still for the adult, if only for a few brief moments. For example, this is shown when E.B. White writes, “the road was still made of tar and led to half a mile of the shoreline after all the years”. This quote supports the idea that time has stood still on the lake because the road leading to it is unchanged. Another example was presented in a fishing scene as father and son get ready to cast their reels: “the arrival of this fly that convinced me beyond any doubt that everything was as it always had been, that the years were a mirage and there had been no years.” (maybe put another sentence that descirbes where the fly landed from article) The description of the fly also supports the idea that time seems to have stood still and the adult has slipped back to being a child. Similarly, the ideas of summer seeming endless and time standing still can be compared to one’s life. For example, as a young child, I always enjoyed my summers spent on the lake, with my Aunt Mary and Uncle Jim, similar to the man in the article going to the lake every summer as a child. Time always seemed to stand still as one occupied them self with activities such as swimming, fishing, and playing games. For example, we would fish until it got too warm and then either swim or play imaginary mermaid princess games on the dock or sit in the shade playing board games and eating sandwiches and chips. Specifically, as one revisits significant events that become tradition, such as going to the lake, one realizes just how carefree the days as a young child were.
Secondly, going back to a place in which one experienced childhood memories reminds one of their spirit of adventure that they once possessed as a child.

For instance, the article demonstrates this idea when E.B. White writes, “…I was always the first up I would dress softly so as not to wake the others, and sneak out into the sweet outdoors and start out on the canoe….” ( ) As children all are looking for adventure because most children contain an imaginary mindset and high energy level. In the context of the quote the man reminisces how he would go canoeing in the morning without anyone knowing. It can be inferred that as a child he enjoyed the feeling of adventure and independence that he experienced during this time. Consequently, by going back to a place where childhood memories were made, one has the ability to resurrect that sense of adventure in which they once held. Likewise, in comparison to one’s life the sense of adventure can be remembered and be revitalized. For instance, one summer at the lake my brother, sister, and I decided to make a raft and sail across the cove. Sailing the raft was a group effort that required all to help, the feeling of adventure was felt as the travelers neared the opposite side and the strive for adventure was met. The trip across the cove was a success and every year since, the same raft has been used to relive the very first adventure and remind one of the provoking feelings one gained. Although time has elapsed and the

travelers of the raft have become older and bigger, the thrill of adventure re-surfaces through every summer when they go back to the lake. This firsthand account example helps to prove that going back to a place of childhood rekindles the memories made.
Lastly, although many comparisons can be made between one’s personal life and E.B White’s article, ‘Once More to the Lake’, there are differences that can be distinguished as well.

For instance in the article the man expresses how things have changed, such as the middle track missing in the road ( ), in comparison, time has not passed nearly as much for one to see the differences in times changing. However, a logical deduction is that one will begin to perceive differences as time goes on. For example, the cove may have more houses, the roads may be paved instead of graveled, or the neighbors that always chatted with us may move. In addition, the man in the article talks about childhood hood memories that he remembers through his own child. The man is now in his father’s shoes, remembering not only his memories as a kid but, the memories that his dad made. This idea of passing on the tradition of going to the lake has not taken place since there are no children to pass this tradition on to. Though if given the opportunity the passing on of traditions would like to be cared on to the next generation. Another brief difference is that the setting for E.B. White’s “Once More to the Lake” is a campsite on a lake in Maine. For example, my personal memories are from a lake in North Carolina where the summer air is still and humid and all that is heard are the gentle lapping of the waves up against the bulkhead that sits below an A- frame lakeside cottage

home.
In conclusion, E.B. White’s article “Once More to the Lake” demonstrates to the reader that it is possible to relive childhood when one becomes a parent and shares the things they held special with their off-spring. Returning to childhood haunts can evoke precious memories that remind us of how one should be carefree and adventurous as a child. Hopefully, one day I can do the same.