40 pages • 1 hour read
Jim HarrisonLegends of the Fall
Fiction | Short Story Collection | Adult | Published in 1979A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
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Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
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BetaSymbols & Motifs
Changing Perspectives
Throughout these novellas, the motif of perspective is constantly present. Harrison uses shifts in perspective and point of view to draw the reader’s attention to the characters’ actions in new ways. The reader can see the story from a new angle. The most notable example of this motif occurs in the opening and closing paragraphs of “Revenge.” The aerial view, as well as the anonymity of the humans observed, places the action in the larger context of the natural world. It is a way of shrinking human action, which we tend to think of as central, to its natural place as merely another creature going about its business. Suddenly, the engrossing events, sometimes terrible in their brutality, seem small and fleeting.
These perspective shifts are, in some cases, momentary. In “The Man Who Gave Up His Name,” for example, Nordstrom effects a perspective change: “For an instant he floated above himself and smiled at the immaculately tailored man sitting on the stump” (123). This change of view allows Nordstrom and the reader the opportunity to step away from his serious thoughts. It offers a break from the tension of the story, a bit of humor that reorients us and gives us a fresh outlook. This motif, and Harrison’s strategy in using it, reflects Nordstrom’s father, who travels the country to “look things over” (123). Harrison invites the reader to smile, frown, or simply develop a different understanding of the story. These moments allow the reader to consider the story and characters in a larger context. By doing so, Harrison shows both the seriousness and ridiculousness of human action.
Escape into Nature
Harrison often places his characters in rugged, natural settings that symbolize the relief they feel in their escape from the human world. Cochran’s cabin, Tristan’s ranch, and Nordstrom’s upbringing in rural Wisconsin provide foundations for narratives in which the natural world and animal actions are thoughtfully observed. Each of the characters finds such relief in escape into nature that nature itself comes to represent healing and wholeness.
Throughout “Legends of the Fall,” each time Tristan is overwhelmed, he heads into nature. The most notable example is his escape to the ocean, where he feels the greatest peace. Ludlow also relates examples of when Tristan, as a child, would disappear into the wilderness when overwhelmed, sometimes for days. Cochran effects a similar escape with his hunting cabin in rural Mexico. Although he is immersed in the cosmopolitan life of a professional tennis player, he values his time in nature enough to make time to stay at the cabin. He spends days with his dog, walking and hunting, and stays in a cabin that has very few amenities. This escape soothes him, and he is eager to share it with Miryea.
Nordstrom grew up in rural Wisconsin and spent many days hunting and fishing with his father and Henry. When his father dies, Nordstrom, for the first time in years, escapes to the woods. There he can find a measure of peace, gain perspective on his father’s death, and even make decisions about his life. It is no coincidence that, at the end of his story, Nordstrom spends his days off immersed in nature, exploring and observing the wild places of his new home in Florida. In all three of these stories, nature is an escape and a balm for the soul, offering peace and perspective.
Men’s Damage to Women
Throughout these three works, the motif of the damage done to women is present. In both “Revenge” and “Legends of the Fall,” women are victims of men's pride, grief, or anger. In “Revenge,” Tibey’s violence against Miryea is focused not on her but his pride and reputation. The narrator says, “He would teach her a lesson that would accompany and mitigate any gossip about his cuckoldry” (46). Although she is an active participant in the affair, his reaction is not focused on her at all—she is collateral damage, someone he takes his anger out on and uses to protect his reputation. Likewise, in “Legends of the Fall,” Tristan marries Susannah not out of love but because he feels a need to resume a normal life after Samuel’s death. He uses his marriage to Susannah to ameliorate his feelings, similar to Tibey’s motivations with Miryea. And in the same way, Susannah becomes collateral damage, discarded just weeks after the marriage. Susannah is left to her own devices as Tristan travels in another attempt to assuage his grief, and her mental and physical health decline.
In “The Man Who Gave Up His Name,” the women—Laura, Sonia, and Nordstrom’s mother—are strong, caring, and independent. The story does not end in tragedy for any of the three women; in fact, they all are happy, and their relationships with Nordstrom are stable and amiable. Yet his actions undoubtedly affect their lives. The process of dismantling his own life affects them, Sonia perhaps the most. By leaving his old life, he forces them to choose to either lose him or accept his decision. Sonia, his daughter, worries about him as if she were his parent. With his use of this motif in all three stories, Harrison shows the dire effects that men’s emotional immaturity can have on women.
