50 pages • 1 hour read
John McPheeEncounters With the Archdruid: Narratives About a Conservationist and Three of His Natural Enemies
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1971A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
Brower as the Archdruid of the Conservation Movement
In John McPhee’s Encounters with the Archdruid, David Brower is the central figure, whose passionate advocacy and unwavering commitment to environmental conservation causes McPhee to dub him the Archdruid of the conservation movement. McPhee lands on this title after a conversation with Charles Fraser, in which the developer calls conservationists who oppose his projects on Cumberland Island “druids,” signifying what Fraser sees as their outdated, spiritualist, and sentimental approach to nature. Brower at first defies this stereotype: When he visits Fraser on Cumberland Island, he appears to Fraser as an unchallenging figure—and idea that McPhee sends up in elevated, grandiose language attesting to Brower’s actual potency:
Fraser, ebullient, was finding Brower so docile that he wouldn’t even call him a druid, and in a sense Fraser was right, for the rote behavior of an ordinary member of the priesthood should be simple to predict. This, however, was—as Fraser apparently did not grasp—no ordinary member of the priesthood. This was the inscrutable lord of the forest, the sacramentarian of ecologia americana, the Archdruid himself Fraser's difficulties with druids were anything but over (138).
As McPhee suggests, Brower is closer to a modern-day druid than other members of the conservation movement due to his profound spiritual connection to nature, his prophetic vision for the environment, and his role as a moral and ethical leader in the fight against ecological destruction.
Brower reveres nature, seeing it as a sacred entity deserving of preservation. This perspective is encapsulated, for example, in Brower’s lament over the submerged beauty of Glen Canyon, particularly the Cathedral in the Desert, which he mourns as a lost sanctuary. His emotional and spiritual attachment to these landscapes underscores his belief in the intrinsic value of nature as a good in itself, outside of its usefulness to humans. Brower’s desire to “get down into [the planet]” (144) in communion reveals a man who sees himself as an integral part of the natural world, rather than its dominator.
McPhee casts Brower as a prophet-like figure, showing how his speeches and actions resonate with a sense of urgency and moral imperative. His impassioned discourse on the pervasiveness of pollution and the long-term impacts of human actions serves as a dire warning to humanity. Brower’s rhetoric, describing environmental degradation as “grand larceny against our children” (82) appeals to the ethical responsibility of current generations to protect the planet for the future. This prophetic stance positions Brower as a visionary who can foresee the catastrophic consequences of continued environmental neglect and who advocates for radical changes to avert such outcomes.
McPhee’s portrayal of Brower as the Archdruid suggests the impact that Brower’s approach to environmental activism has had over the years and the fact that the lasting prophetic figure of Brower cannot be trivialized, as he is not an ordinary conservationist-druid.
Nature as a Resource
The debates McPhee chronicles contrast the perspectives of Bower and his interlocutors about the mining of the Glacier Peak Wilderness, the development of a resort on Cumberland Island, the building of dams and the creation of Lake Powell. In broad terms, for Park, Fraser, and Dominy, nature is a resource to be exploited, while Browser sees nature as a sacred entity to be preserved.
Park and Dominy represent the utilitarian perspective that nature is primarily a resource for human use and benefit. Fraser falls somewhat in between their viewpoints and that of Brower, as he states repeatedly that he is committed to conservation. Park’s fascination with resource mining and Dominy’s pride in Lake Powell, a manmade lake created by the dam, underscores their conviction that transforming natural landscapes can lead to progress and prosperity. Fraser and Dominy’s perspective is pragmatic and driven by a belief in human ingenuity and the potential to manage and mitigate environmental impacts through technology and engineering.
Conversely, Brower represents a profound opposition to the commodification of nature. Brower mourns the loss of natural wonders like the Cathedral in the Desert, submerged by Lake Powell, viewing such projects as irreversible assaults on the sanctity of the natural world. His emotional and spiritual connection to these landscapes reflects a belief in nature’s intrinsic value, beyond its utility to humans. Brower’s stance is that once nature is destroyed or altered significantly, its unique ecological and aesthetic qualities are lost forever, a cost that outweighs any temporary human benefits.
McPhee’s narrative suggests that there are socio-economic dimensions of this theme. For instance, in Part 3, the floating community at Lake Powell, consisting of merchants and Park Service rangers, highlights the economic dependencies created by transforming natural landscapes into resources for human use. This community underscores how economic activities can be adapted to new manmade environments, reinforcing the notion that nature's value is often tied to its utility in supporting human livelihoods and commerce.
Charles Fraser, who is involved in the development of a resort on Cumberland Island, presents a more nuanced view. While Fraser states his commitment to conservation, he also promotes development that leverages natural beauty to attract tourism. His approach attempts to strike a balance between exploitation and preservation, suggesting that sustainable development could provide a middle ground. Fraser’s position acknowledges the economic realities and pressures of development while still advocating for the protection of natural spaces.
However, Brower remains skeptical of such compromises, fearing that even well-intentioned development can lead to irreversible environmental damage. His confrontations with Fraser highlight the complexities and tensions inherent in trying to harmonize economic development with environmental stewardship. Ultimately, Brower’s vision calls for a radical rethinking of how society values nature, emphasizing the need for an ethic that places ecological integrity above short-term economic gain.
Personal Background Determines Ideological Position
Each of the book’s central characters has been profoundly shaped by life experiences, professional backgrounds, and personal connections to nature. McPhee’s portrayal of these individuals underscores the significant role personal background plays in shaping ideological positions on environmental issues.
David Brower embodies the deep emotional and spiritual connection to nature that drives his environmental advocacy. Brower’s background, marked by his early experiences in the Berkeley Hills and his lifelong passion for the wilderness, significantly influences his ideology. His boyhood fascination with butterflies and the natural world, coupled with the challenges of his upbringing during the Great Depression, forged a deep respect for nature’s intrinsic value. This personal history is reflected in Brower’s view of nature as sacred and untouchable, a stance that often puts him at odds with more utilitarian perspectives. His leadership in the Sierra Club and his staunch opposition to industrial projects, like the Glen Canyon Dam, underscore a worldview that prioritizes the preservation of natural beauty over human economic interests.
In contrast, Charles Park’s background as a geologist and mineral engineer shapes his pragmatic approach to nature. Park’s professional career is rooted in the study and extraction of natural resources, which informs his belief that resource development is essential for societal progress. His geological expertise and experience in the mining industry provide him with a perspective that values the utilitarian aspects of nature. Park’s admiration for the mineral wealth of the Glacier Peak Wilderness and his insistence on the necessity of mining reflect a belief in the responsible and sustainable use of natural resources. This viewpoint is inherently shaped by his professional commitment to understanding and utilizing the earth’s geological assets.
Charles Fraser is a developer with a professed commitment to conservation. Fraser’s background in creating resorts that leverage natural beauty informs his belief in sustainable development. His efforts to balance economic interests with environmental preservation reflect a personal ideology that acknowledges the importance of both. Fraser’s position highlights the complexity of finding middle ground in the debate between exploiting and conserving nature.
Floyd Dominy’s upbringing as a cattle rancher and his subsequent career as Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation further highlight how personal background influences ideological positions. Dominy’s early life, characterized by the hardships of ranching, instilled in him a practical and resilient approach to nature that promotes community building over wilderness preservation. His achievements, such as the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam and the creation of Lake Powell, are driven by a conviction that human ingenuity can and should harness natural resources for the greater good. Dominy’s pride in his engineering accomplishments and his pragmatic view of development as progress are direct results of his experiences and professional success in managing and transforming natural landscapes.
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