The Staining of the Golden Gates Joseph Janey College

The preciousness of life is something that can often be forgotten. Things come and go, seasons change, and in a modernistic culture the day can shift beneath our feet in a moment’s notice. In this modernizing world, the real question that comes about is what can endure the chaos and remain precious? The lone thought that rises above all is innocence. It has withstood the test of time and while seemingly always remaining unattainable, is an immortalized virtue. Willa Cather explores this concept in A Lost Lady, as she delves into how something so perfect, can vanish as quickly as darkness falls. Cather demonstrates how like any other purity in life, once innocence is lost, never can it return to illuminate the world in the way it once did.

Niel’s entire perception of the good in people vanishes in a single instant, confirming the fragility of all things pure. As he joyfully walks to the Forrester house, he experiences a high resulting from his future encounter with Mrs. Forrester. The early morning is full of hope as the roses he had picked out are just right to surprise the one who has been so dear to him. The connotation that connects to the early morning reflects brightness and the absence of all things wrong that happen...