comment on theme

The story’s setting and narrative focus often emphasize portrayals of nature as indomitable and dominant over human existence. These ideas are represented symbolically by the key players of the narrative. Specifically, Uncle Monday may be interpreted as a symbol of nature and its power over human life. The story establishes this idea by directly associating Uncle Monday with the natural surroundings that define life in the village. For example, when Joe Lindsay first sees Uncle Monday, Joe is struggling with the activity of fishing. Then, he sees Uncle Monday appear to emerge from Lake Belle. The narrative creates a further juxtaposition between Monday and the natural surroundings: “[Joe Lindsay] says that alligators were in the front of his mind that morning because first, he had heard bull ‘gators fighting and bellowing all night long, and…everybody knows that the father of all ‘gators lives in Belle Lake” (107). This quotation also foreshadows the idea of Monday being an incarnation of this specific alligator.