Under The Lion Paw Analysis

Hamlin Garland's compelling short story, "Under the Lion's Paw," maintains a modern-day relevancy even though the story illustrates the grim struggle for survival in the late nineteenth century Midwest. People, today, face many of the same challenges as Mr. Haskins, the protagonist, in the story. Garland pits his nineteenth century protagonist against the hardships of farming and the unpredictability of nature. Moreover, he sheds light on the uncertain future immigrants often face. In the final analysis, Hamlin Garland's story reminds the reader that, tragically, people of the twenty-first century remain trapped "under the lion's paw" in the same manner as people of the nineteenth century.-5 To begin with, the modern-day farmer faces many of the same struggles as the nineteenth century farmers in Hamlin Garland's "Under the Lion's Paw." For instance, even with technological advances …show more content…
Nature turns the innocent Haskins family into another casualty of her wrath when a destructive grasshopper swarm destroys their land. The destruction leaves the family homeless and struggling for survival. In light of the devastation, Haskins recounts his overwhelming horror of the grasshoppers by revealing that "They wiped us out. They chawed everything that was green. They jest set around waitin’ f’r us to die t’ eat us, too" ( ). The Haskins family's plight mirrors the horrifying experience modern-day families often encounter when faced with nature's destructive power. For instance, catastrophic storms, unexpected earthquakes, and other natural occurrences demolish people’s lives every day. In the same way as the grasshopper swarm lay waste to Haskins’s land, present day natural catastrophes leave people homeless and economically ruined. In the end, regardless of the century in which they occur, natural catastrophes destroy hopes and