Chapter 11 "Nullo" Summary

"Nullo" is a short seven-line poem describing pine needles falling in the forest at sunset. The pine needles fall so quietly from the tree that the rabbits don't hear them touch softly on the ground. The ground is dry and peppered with the imprints of cow hooves.

Chapter 11 "Nullo" Analysis

The pine needles in "Nullo" fall so softly that the animals don't take notice and nothing in the forest is disturbed. There is no indication that the falling pine needles were observed by anything or anyone, other than the narrator. The description prompts one to question the role of perception. In other words, is the meaning of this event defined by how it is perceived? To the rabbits and the forest in general, the falling pine needles are not perceived at all. To them, it is as though the...