A Place of "Refuge"

One of the passages that really stuck with me from the book "Refuge" by Terry Tenpest Williams is a particular scene on pages 237-238. In this scene, we see Terry retreating to a secret place. The recent passing of her mother has led to her feeling sorrowful, and she need some place to go, some place to get away from it all, a place of "refuge" if you will.

"Leaning against the back of the wall of the cave, the curve of the rock supports the curve of my spine". Here we see the connection that Terry has with nature. The curve in the wall of the cave matches up with the curve of her spine, symbolizing her connection with nature that we have seen throughout the book. Also of note is how she says that the rock supports her. Throughout the book we see that she not only has strong connection with nature, but that she turns to nature as a source of comfort, strength, and refuge. This single sentence conveys this relationship very well.

The cave is covered in the simple imagery of the animals that inhabit the land, and Terry finds it comforting to mimic these depictions, choosing to carve simple chevrons on the bones o a rabbit, picked clean by a bird. Here we see another connection to birds, and the fact that it is an eagle is interesting as well, a symbol of strength and courage.

 I also find it interesting how Terry connects this place, a place that is used by the native people of the land, as a place of refuge for herself. One interesting aspect of the book is how Terry sometimes connects the beliefs and practices of the native people to the her own situation. This blending of her own Mormon beliefs and natives ones is interesting, and something that we again see in this passage.

This passage effectively conveys the power of solitude and how being alone in a place of comfort, and a place in which we can find strength can help us, even through the darkest times. It is in these places of quiet reflection that we are able to truly be ourselves, to contemplate on life, and how we feel about things. I think everyone needs these types of places, places where they can be themselves, let their feelings out without the fear of being judged by others. Perhaps Terry should serve as an example to us, instead of immediately going to tell other our troubles, perhaps we should be more like her and seek solace more so than the often empty words of others in our times of distress.

Work Cited:

Williams, Terry Tempest. Refuge. New York: Vintage Books, 2001. Print. 237-238.