The Circle of Life

The Circle of Life, or the theme of death and rebirth, is a very important concept in A Year in the Maine Woods. While the author is walking around his property or in the nearby woods, he often finds evidence of the people who came before him. Sometimes it may be the remains of an old farmhouse. Other times he finds small cemeteries with names of children from families who settled the region. These early settlers came, built houses, created orchards, chopped down forests, and then they were gone, dying or moving to another place. The author repeats those same activities in the present day, building his cabin, clearing an apple orchard, and logging in the forest. And so, like those pioneers who left the traces of their lives, one day all of the author's work will also be traces found by future generations.

This...