Living Like Weasels

Annie Dillard, in her essay “Living Like Weasels” (1974), claims that just like the weasel, we as humans should try to behave on instincts. Dillard supports this idea by first describing an anecdotal encounter with a weasel and then analyzing the weasel's traits. Her main objective is to prove that the weasel acts without regret and jumps right into situations, which is how we should act. She creates an informal relationship with the audience by speaking in first person and addressing those who like to contemplate every single move in life.

1. Each section in the essay is numbered, which creates a clear image of how the encounter with the weasel went about. The first section is merely background information, setting the tone and maybe building up suspense. The second section introduces the story of how Dillard met a weasel. The third section consists of the actual meeting and her reactions. The fourth section is her analyzation of how she and the weasel go about life. The fifth section is her regrets in life, and the final section is the conclusion. Dillard’s method has a clear structure and shows how she processed the event in a logical manner. In a sense, it fits the classical prototype of an average story. It has the rising action (background, buildup to encounter), the climax (actual encounter), and the falling action (exploring the encounter in greater depths). The numbers are perfect because they clearly mark a shift in the story.

2. The line “noticing everything, remembering nothing…” sheds light on an important life lesson that is constantly overlooked. People tend to get caught up in the constant hustle and bustle of the world. However, they get caught up on the smallest things, which sets their day into a downward spiral. Everyone has that one moment in their day, and I am no different. Last year, there was a span of almost two months where the school kitchen didn’t have Rice Krispies for breakfast. Everyday, I would leave breakfast in a funk, angry at the subpar cheerios that I had been forced to eat. If I had taken the advice of the weasel, those morning blues wouldn't have fazed me. The weasel sees everything around him, but doesn’t let it get to him. He doesn’t remember the bad or good, he just keeps moving forward to the next instinct. Pushing forward is a key lesson that the weasel embodies.  

5. Throughout this essay, Dillard puts an emphasis on the need for the “wild” in daily life. In my opinion this may seem contradictory to what most people do. People pride themselves on their rigid work schedules and habitual lifestyles. Some students even have their whole lives planned out before they even reach college. When Dillard mentions the “wild”, she focuses on the freedom and easygoing nature of the outdoors. There is no structure or way to go about life. There are simply instincts that push animals to live and thrive. The “wild” mentality is somewhat unheard of in modern-day life. Dillard’s “wild” people would simply be looked at as lazy, but in truth they are living in a more free environment. Dillard makes the outdoors seem inviting and calm because that is one place where the hardships and structure of society fall aside.