In The Known World by Edward P.Jones, Moses is revealed to be attuned to nature through a juxtaposition of his former slave status and his new slavelike obsession of earth.
As the passage opens Moses's owner has died, so that means Moses is a free slave. His attunement to nature is then revealed when he continues to work the land even though he is free. “He was the only man in the realm slave or free to eat dirt,” meaning that the earth was the “only thing in his small life that meant as much as his own life.” Moses is so connected with the earth that his habits include eating dirt. In this context, Moses can be juxtaposed to a slave of nature. He is so obsessed with nature that he is ‘chained’ to the land. You can also see this slave like
As the passage opens Moses's owner has died, so that means Moses is a free slave. His attunement to nature is then revealed when he continues to work the land even though he is free. “He was the only man in the realm slave or free to eat dirt,” meaning that the earth was the “only thing in his small life that meant as much as his own life.” Moses is so connected with the earth that his habits include eating dirt. In this context, Moses can be juxtaposed to a slave of nature. He is so obsessed with nature that he is ‘chained’ to the land. You can also see this slave like