Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard should be read when one feels depressed or at loss. Sometimes she is greeted with truly disturbing pictures, but that is too life as it is. The nature of good and evil, meaning of life and its richness, she contemplates every little thing, looking at this world with innocent eyes of an infant. The protagonist does not only look for a way to stop the time, but also answers to questions old as this world. We are always in hurry, always behind, constantly overstressed. This is an inexplicable emotion this is pure bliss, joy, and a blessing! Unfortunately for us, modern people ceased to look for happiness in simple things. That is the magic moment when she feels alive, when she understands that she is living in the moment right now.

There is a passage in which the protagonist drinks coffee and pets a puppy, looking at magnificent mountain. To live in the moment, one has to stay focused. Let others do that, she would be happy just to watch. From now, she refuses to take part in a race. The protagonist has understood that a long time ago. It seems that no matter how much you try to squeeze overloaded schedule in 24 hours, you are doomed to fail. You have probably heard some people complain about lack of time, they often say that they don’t know where time goes. It is extremely interesting how the author describes those attempts to catch the time. Her main goal is to solve the mystery of nature and learn to live in the moment. Unlike many other people who prefer leisure picnics to long strolls in the woods, she doesn’t rest or sit idly.

The protagonist calls herself an observer, a real stalker, and indeed she is. We don’t know much about the protagonist, except for the fact that she is a woman and lives by a creek, thus can enjoy long strolls and wonderful views almost every day. This story is a chance to look at habitual phenomena with fresh eyes. The picturesque descriptions of the valley and the creek will vividly appear before one’s eyes while reading this story, helping to feel and see what the protagonist sees and feels, walking up and down narrow paths. Though it is a nonfictional writing, one might consider it an ode to beauty of a fleeting moment, life and its numerous forms, mysterious nature, and, of course, God. Pilgrim at Tinker Creekby Annie Dillard is an amazing literary work.

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Pilgrim at tinker creek book