A Land Remembered

      After reading the book, A Land Remembered by Patrick Smith I was very intrigued by some of the characters, but Solomon MacIvey is the one I found most interesting.  Solomon, also known as Sol, is the child of Zech and Emma MacIvey.  Even as a young boy, Solomon lived and breathed for power and this obsession only got worse as he grew older.  This obsession for power quickly escalated after the death of his father.  He wanted to be remembered and make a difference with his money and family business, but not in the same fashion his family did.  This is why he eventually started to call himself “the least of the MacIveys”.  This is because he did not share the love for nature that everyone in his family did.

            Solomon had a very distant relationship from the environment and the natural world.  Unlike everyone else in the MacIvey family, Solomon wanted nothing to do with nature or the preservation of the natural land.  Instead, when he is left to manage the family businesses, he leaves the homestead and decides to move to Miami.  In Miami, he starts new business to further his fortune, such as a bank and a real estate company.

            I think Solomon’s sense of place changes throughout the book, but I think at the end of the book is when he finally discovers his true sense of place.  Towards the end of his life, he mends his relationship with Toby Cypress and helps him preserve land in southern Florida.  This helps bring back his love for nature even after greed had torn him so far apart from it.  He moves back to the MacIvey cabin, which I think is his true sense of place.  He eventually dies in 1968 in peace inside the cabin, which I think is very fitting ending for his life that had so many ups and downs.

            I think I relate to Solomon because I sometimes led greed take over my life sometimes.  Instead of being thankful where I come from, I sometimes forget about my true roots in search for monetary reward.  Also, I am not someone who wants to follow the exact footsteps of all of my previous ancestors.  I want to branch out and live the life that I want to live.