The Balance Between Individuals and the Community Anonymous 12th Grade

It seems to be an innate human need to belong, to be a part of something, a part of a group of people that have formed a strong and reliable bond. In the novel Harvest, by Jim Crace, a fire set at the local manor house sets of a chain of events that decimates the usually quiet village. The novel is narrated by Walter Thirsk, who joined the community after he married a woman from the village, although, even after spending more than a decade there, the events that transpire reveal where everyone’s allegiances really lie. The collaborative plowing scene works as the illuminating incident of the novel to demonstrate the key struggle between one’s individuality and commitment to their community.

The villagers all gathered by the fields to harvest the crops they had planted and cared for. This had been the same year after year, a ritual and practice that was the backbone of their community, as their lives were based around the crops they grew and the animals they kept to harvest these crops. As they reap the fruits of their labor, they are one and the same, bonded by this common practice and this collective life. Walter Thirsk, the narrator of the novel, refers to himself and the other villagers as “we,” despite the fact that he was...