"The Brown Wasps" Summary

Summary

Loren Eisley's "The Brown Wasps"

This story is about a man who planted a tree when he was a little boy.  Throughout his life, he imagined the tree as growing and still being where it was planted.  Everything around the tree may have changed, but he only saw the tree.

Because the image of the tree was his touchstone for his life as a child with his father, he could see how other creatures depended on their environment for stability.

The mouse counted on his field, even though at some point, man would take it away.  Once that happened, the mouse looked for a home that was similar to his field.

Pigeons that depended on the El for food had to leave to find more food but still came back when activity started up again.  They instinctively believed that activity meant food again.

As humans, we have a concept of life based on past experiences of people and family.  Even when those people are gone, we still seek the same type of environment.  The writer noticed that homeless people, even when close to death, would look for a place where there were other people.

The writer compared himself to wasps that come out early and then die because it’s too cold.  Instinct leads the wasps but, like the mouse, the pigeons, and even humans, instinct is not always for our benefit.