The Half Husky

The Half Husky

Society’s firewood

A literary essay on Margaret Laurence’s ‘The Half-Husky’ by Mark Rozema

What is it that determines what a person is to become? Is it our genetic makeup or is it our environment – the sum of our experiences that brings our personalities upon us? In the short, loosely autobiographical story; ‘The Half-husky’ the author; Margaret Laurence, gives her say on this. Harvey’s attitude and personality correspond with his environment; Vanessa’s attitude is in tandem with her environment, and Nanuk has both a loving and a savage side. Is this simply his nature or is it the sum of his experiences? Margaret Laurence is suggesting that it is our experiences – the environment we live in – that determine what we are to become.

There is almost a direct correlation between Harvey and the environment in which he spent most of his life, more importantly the early years of his life, the developing years. Harvey is described as “lethargic” and “pallid”. This is reflective of the area of town, the environment that he grew up in; the north end of town. The north end of town is filled with “shacks and shanties”. An unhealthy environment like this saps one of their health and vitality – making them like Harvey, “pallid” and “lethargic”.

Harvey “[torments]” Nanuk on a regular basis, causing him deliberate and pointless pain.

He has no desired end, the pain he causes Nanuk is both a means and an end. This is the same as his home life where his aunt causes him pain when she “[hits] him across the face” with an “explosive quickness”. Harvey’s neighborhood is the kind of neighborhood where there is a mentality of do now and think later, so this is what Harvey does.

Harvey is symbolized in this story by the plebeian poplar, he, like the wood is considered of little value and so is put into an environment in which there is little chance of him gaining any value. He is placed into a sinkhole, created by society.

Harvey’s personality is reflective of his life experiences; he is a plebeian poplar log that is being stored outside.

Like Harvey, Vanessa reacts to situations in ways very similar to the ways her main influences would react to those same situations. When talking to her brother about what to name her new dog she notices that her voice carries a “disturbing echo” of her grandfather’s voice.