Once More to the Lake by E. B. White
E. B. White, an American author who was born in 1899 and
passed away in 1985, is the author of the short story Once More to the Lake.
White finds himself wishing to return and arranges a trip with his son even
though his family's yearly trips to the lake are far in the past. While
traveling to the lake, the author muses on how the campsite would have
deteriorated with time and whether the tarred road would have discovered it.
Once on vacation, the author experiences an odd feeling. After catching a few
basses, the two go swimming, and White observes the other campers who seem to
him to be the same as the campers he remembers from his youth. He and his son
then go up to a farmhouse where they are served dinner by a young
woman who seems to be the same person who has always worked at the
farmhouse. While reflecting on the benefits of summer vacation and the peace
and goodness that characterize his memories of the camp, White pinpoints the
appearance of the young woman who served them. White remembers the tricks a
one-cylinder motor might accomplish after observing his son's drive to master
the outboard motor.
Overall, the author and his son enjoy their trip, even though
there have been some noticeable changes at the camp. White is able to keep up
the appearance that he has taken the place of his father and gone back to his
childhood. When his son decides to join the other campers, White watches his
son finish getting dressed while he changes into his swim trunks. Thus it is
the writer’s story and the explanation of the three generation- writer’s
father, the writer himself, the son of the writer.