"The Oakthing"
I really liked this story because it feels like a more traditional fairy tale. I am also taking a history class on the World Wars, so I felt a special kinship with the story's context and subplot.
The oakthing is reminiscent of the gods in American Gods. When the family abandons their home but forgets to sprinkle its steps with sour milk, they are forgetting the tradition that keep the old god alive. Thus the oakthing must venture out of its sanctuary to find some source of belief. The grandmother is willing, but her grand daughter represents the new beliefs of the war generation. Because the war has overtaken everything, however, it becomes a new god. The oakthing must sacrifice itself to the future generation, becoming kindling for the German soldier's fire.
The oakthing is reminiscent of the gods in American Gods. When the family abandons their home but forgets to sprinkle its steps with sour milk, they are forgetting the tradition that keep the old god alive. Thus the oakthing must venture out of its sanctuary to find some source of belief. The grandmother is willing, but her grand daughter represents the new beliefs of the war generation. Because the war has overtaken everything, however, it becomes a new god. The oakthing must sacrifice itself to the future generation, becoming kindling for the German soldier's fire.
posted by Anonymous at 3:14 PM
3 Comments:
I think that maybe if they had had milk they would have left some out for the oakthing. I thought it was kind of sad when the granddaughter used the oakthing for the fire. But I can definetely see how this can remind you of American Gods. I do like the granddaughter though. She's a lot smarter and independent than her parents want her to be.
What was the oakthing? Was it just a bunch of branches that the grandmother gave life by believing in it, or was it actually a fairy of some sort?
At first I saw the Oakthing as some poor helpless creature, but at the end it became for me more of an omnicient being. The grandmother avoided the invading army because she went to get milk for it. The milk, after being ignored by the Oakthing, was needed to feed the sick soldier. Then the Oakthing spoke mentally to the grandmother to tell her he didn't need it at all. But by going to get the milk for it, she probably saved two lives, the soldier's and her own. Even though the grandmother wanted to kill the soldier, I think the Oakthing saw him just as a human who needed help, like the daughter saw him, instead of the enemy.
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