The Loss Of The Creature

5 Pages 1247 Words

Responding to Walker Percy’s “The Loss of the Creature”
Imagine what it would be like to be the first person to discover and see the Grand Canyon in the reality of its beauty. Once an entity has been discovered, is the reality of it’s existence preserved, or does it lose it’s true essence forever after? If the latter, then is there a sure-fire way to ever recapture the significance and meaning attached to it? Or are we only able to see what preconceived notions we have of that entity, without having to struggle at re-discovering it? In the essay “The Loss of the Creature,” Walker Percy raises such questions, and by reflecting on my own experiences, I have come to realize that it’s rather difficult to find any significance other than what has already been placed upon the entity being seen and/or experienced. There is no re-discovery in experiencing something with pre-conceived notions or expectations.
When my education had come to the point where I began to choose the subjects I wanted to study, I first explored my curiosity in art history and the French language. Over time, I became very fond and familiar of these subjects. After I finished taking the courses, I set out to create the pinnacle experience that would complete my education on these topics by planning a trip to France. I was going to see for myself, what most people only see in books, and I knew that doing so would give me more insight on the well known places and works of art that the larger majority of my peers would never have. However, on the day I actually visited the Louvre in Paris, the reality of my experience turned out much different than I had anticipated.
I found myself standing amidst a sea of people pushing their way towards some small altar that was roped off so as to keep anyone from getting too close. I neared the front, feeling claustrophobic and highly aware of the odiferous, clammy bodies pressed against mine. The noise was...