The Vacation by Wendell Berry

The Vacation, by Wendell Berry, expresses the escapade of a man off on a vacation flying down a river, camera in hand to capture all the moments for later remembrance. The man later flicks a switch and becomes able to witness his trip all at once as if it were occurring once more as he had seen in real life. Yet, in the final few lines of the poem the poignant point of the man never being in his vacation is urged to express how futile the voyage evidently had been in retrospect. Although people live their lives and pass through many exciting adventures, more often than not our society finds itself stuck behind capturing the moment rather than living in the moment and savoring every chance and experience presented.

The man, while on his voyage, is expressed as having “his video camera to his eye” as he barrels through toward the end of his vacation. Propelling the idea that he is trapped behind his material object, the camera, caught up in being able to show off what pleasure there was in getting the amazing shot of the passing water. Still though he also misses capturing the once in a lifetime feeling only obtainable while they are occurring in time. Clearly the man recorded his vacation to remember it because “he stood with his camera preserving his vacation even as he was having it so that after he had had it he would still have it.” But, undoubtedly in still having a record of the excursion, the main point in taking a vacation becomes lost because rather than relaxing and letting go of all worries, the man is caught up in obtaining a documentation of an adventure worthy of being claimed to have been lived by another person or watched on television.

The poet attempts to make the point that the man “would never be in it [the vacation]” to ensure people do not avoid unforgettable moments by worrying to capture them on film in fear of possibly losing their meanings in the future. Living a life can only be done once and after that verve is gone all that remains belongs to memories of the past. If these memories are not taken in fully and appreciated while they are happening, the past may turn into regret of not remembering the feelings of what being in the moment of the vacation had felt like.

As everyone participates in their own vacations