Brians Search For The Meaning Of Life In W.o. Mitchells Who Has Seen :: essays research papers

Brians Search for the Meaning of Life in W.O. Mitchells Who Has Seen the WindBy Rodrigo Goller     Through the brilliantly written book Who Has Seen the Wind, Mitchell isable to very effectively describe the tale of one boy and his growth on theSaskatchewan prairie. Brians childhood revolves well-nigh aspects of everyday bearing, and in it he attempts to explain that which has evaded and mystified eventhe great minds of our times the meaning of life. He is able to somewhatunderstand the meaning of life though his experiences with birth, particularlythat of a pigeon, and a rabbit. His up-close-in-your-face learning of death,at an early age, when his dog, and subsequently his father dies. Lastly Brians realization that its all just sensations, and feelings complete his look to forthe meaning of life.     Early in his life, Brian has many experiences with birth. The first ofthese comes to him at an early age when he sees newborn pigeons. When hi sfather explains how these pigeons were made, Brian understands that birth is thebeginning of life. Four age later, a similar conversation comes up whenBrian asks his father how rabbits are born. With this new found knowledge,Brian also sees another newborn. But this time it was a two-headed calf, whodies at birth. Because of this, Brian comes to the realization that "God isntvery considerate"(166), for sometimes he lets things like the two headed cowcome into this world, only to suffer and then die.     The Second instance in which Brian is confronted with the meaning oflife, comes to him when he sees death, and asks himself why. When Brianspigeon died, he asked his father why it had happened.          "Why?" said Brian.          "It happens to things," his father said.          "Why does it happen to things?" H e turned up his face to hisfather, cheeks                 stained with drying tears.          "Thats the way they end up."          Brian looked down at the baby pigeon in his hand.          "It was an egg. Now its stopped."          "Yes Spalpeen, its stopped." (56)Although this was hard for Brian to face, he was once againconfronted with death. This second time, his dog Jappy dies crushed by acarriage of horses as "the front wheels of the dray missed Jappy. The hind onesdid not. A shrill and agonized cry arose." (175) As Brian stood by, not able to sponsor his dog, Brian "knew that this lifeless thing once had lived, but now his dog was dead,"(176) and that there was nothing he could ever do to bringJappy back.