Father and son relationships: dynamics and impacts

¶ … Lake

In the short story "Once More to the Lake," author E.B. White describes his childhood summertime experiences. Each year his father would rent a camping spot for a whole month and the family would play and go fishing in the lake. Reflecting on his experiences, the narrator describes how he decided to revisit the lake with his own son. "Once More to the Lake" is therefore mainly about the nature of family, especially the father-son relationship.

The opening line of the story establishes the theme of family and emphasizes the role of the father: "One summer, along about 1904, my father rented a camp on a lake in Maine and took us all there for the month of August." The theme of father-son relationship is reiterated throughout the tale, as the narrator reflects on his own perceptions of fatherhood and family. For example, the narrator states, "I took along my son, who had never had any fresh water up his nose and who had seen lily pads only from train windows." At first, the narrator believes that he will simply be recreating his childhood and evoking memories. He wants his son to experience the same delights he had by the lake. However, many things at the campsite have changed over time. The narrator cannot help but feel a "creepy sensation" that "I was my father." Because he is recreating the exact moments of his childhood, the narrator becomes acutely aware that he is becoming his father and that his son is becoming himself. The realization is powerful and reminds the author of his mortality. The final line of the short story reads, "As he buckled the swollen belt suddenly my groin felt the chill of death." White is not trying to be morbid, but rather, is trying to show what prompts people to have children.