Power Of The Plains In Kathleen Norris's Dakota

People can grow in their faith and become closer to God in through many, sometimes utterly opposite, situations. Some, such as Lewis and Karr, are pointed to the Lord through their interactions with others and their reading, while others, such as the author of Dakota, Kathleen Norris, begin to grow spiritually when they distance themselves from humanity. In Dakota, she tracks the affect that the emptiness and harshness of the plains has on herself and the local farmers and small towns. As she compares the environment to Benedictine monasteries, it becomes apparent that a person’s landscape has a surprising amount of influence on their state of mind and spiritual wellbeing. Through Norris’ memoir, as she discusses the manner in which the Dakotan plains have influenced the natives, she also touches upon the reactions that newcomers have to it. Their fear and awe emphasize the power that the world around you can have on your soul. Through Norris’ writing, the readers get a sense of the huge size of the Earth. She is only describing one, relatively …show more content…
“Everything that seems empty is full of the angels of God.’ The magnificent sky above the plains sometimes seems to sing this truth; angels seem possible in the wind-filled expanse” (page 11). The Bible often states that nature glorifies the Lord and that He can be seen through what He has created. Places such as western Dakota, so far from the majority of civilization, do this particularly well. People are reminded of the greatness and power of the Creator when they experience the vastness and wildness of His creation. Western Dakota can be a very difficult place to live. The people are dependent on the extreme weather and they do not have the opportunity to experience the benefits of an urban environment. However, many of the long-term residents, such as Norris, and some of the visitors are not only willing to live through such realities, but take joy in