Summary

She wakes one autumn morning to hear the birds excited about migration. Already, she hears the low honk of the Canadian goose heading south for winter. Some birds have come to Tinker Creek for winter, as it serves as their south.

Summer is over and the overabundance of the season is full of rot. The woods are restless and she spends her days wandering through the warm afternoons. And then one day, she feels the air has changed. It is October and fall is rushing in. Monarchs alight on Tinker Creek for five days. She imagines where they are going and where they have come from. She longs to have a “Northing” to be drawn by a primordial force in a singular focused direction.

Analysis

Dillard’s longing for a northing—for a singular focus pulling her forward— is ironic because to the reader...