The Natural World

The poem uses references to nature as a framing device for the overarching themes. From the start, the natural world is a predominant force. The speaker remembers fishing at a lake (implied to be Lake Michigan), surrounded by wilderness. The first direct mention of a natural entity frames it as an antagonistic force: “My brother squats in poison ivy” (Line 3). However, the poison ivy is the passive force, while the speaker’s brother is imposing himself on it. This suggests the children may not have grown up in this area and are not familiar with its hazards, but have travelled to visit their grandparents. There may also be a sense from the speaker that their brother is pushing themselves into the natural world in the same way that he pushes himself into the speaker’s space, suggesting a prickly relationship.

The second direct mention...