“A Country Girl”
Based on Ecocriticism interpretation, Paul Lilley’s meadow is an unqualified prototype of a Georgian Pastoral. First, Mary Hood hints, “you could pick up one of the little early apples from the ground and eat it right then without worrying about pesticide.” Clearly, there are no pests in the meadow, which means that the apples are virginally organic. The limpidness of the apples diminishes the health risks that would be inescapable in urban areas where commercial farming is dependent on pesticides.
Second, farms are ubiquitous in Paul Lilley’s meadow. Mary Hood writes, “the most famous local citizen was hanged just that much before a reprieve-a sad, legendary thin; there’s a farm named for him.” The farms contribute to the inhabitants’ pastoral culture which means that the valley is predominantly delineated by farms.Also, the food, specifically vegetables and fruits, consumed in the meadow is reaped from their farms.
Additionally, Elizabeth validates the agreeableness of country life because “the blueberries were long past prime, but she found a handful and shared some with him.” It would be utopian to find wild blueberries growing adjacent the streets in the urban areas. Natural fruits such as blueberries guarantee the residents in Paul Lilley’s meadow sufficient, healthy food.
Additionally, the fauna in “ in Paul Lilley’s pasture” such as “every cricket and June bug singing born two thousand feet above sea level ” generates a paradisal ambiance that makes it conceivable for the residents such as Elizabeth Inglish to submerge in country bliss.
Elizabeth engrosses in the pastoral life long after Paul Montgomery’s article is published for “not every Sunday would a literary pilgrim find Elizabeth Inglish on the porch, guitar in hand, waiting for the evening train to pass through Paul Lilley’s meadow, but when she was there she stared coolly past the stranger, mute, head held high, as though nothing whether trivial or profound would distract her from her reverie.” The pilgrims cannot distract Elizabeth when she is in her bliss for the reason that she is exceedingly intimate with the meadow. The country life takes Elizabeth into an overpowering trance that cannot be upset by any human being.
“How Far She Went”
What elicits the grandmother’s resolution to kill a dog that “could be counted on?” Mary Hood explicates, “the dog wouldn’t hush, even then; never had yet, and there wasn’t time to teach him. When the woman realized , she did what she had to do. She grabbed him whimpering; held him; held him under till the struggle ceased and bubble rose silver from his fur.” The opportunity cost of showing mercy to the dog’s is high because it would escalate the odds of being visible to the armed men. So the dog’s life is forfeited for the sake of the girl and granny’s survival.
When the girl articulates her remorse over the dog’s death, the grandmother responds, “It was him or you.” According to the Social Exchange Theory, the grandmother weighed the benefits she would derive from the dog against the benefits from her granddaughter. As a result, she settled on saving the girl because she is human ; thus, her significance is material. Although the girl has been defiant, her grandmother adores her and she would go to any extent to shield her in a way that she would not guard Slyvie.
