It can be said that the natural environment that the Child is so used to, influence the poet to the extent that age and elements of the human mind are no longer significant, but rather the existence of life is everlasting, “I ascend … grain by grain, into the hands of the Gods … it’s the pint on the earth’s surface where I disappear”.
The Child is another crucial character whose personality is changed and influenced through variations in his environment, similar to Ovid. The Child, in a sense, represents how societal restraints can harm ones identity, and how non-conformity can fabricate outside conflict, yet personal pleasure.
In the beginning, The Child is perceived as a mystical, perplexing character who is scarcely even human, and without doubt not a member of any civilization. He is a wild boy. However he is seen through the eyes of Ovid in a different manner. He is astounded at the Boy’s existence and at times obsessed about bringing him into modern, yet primitive society. As Ovid develops his relationship with The Child, two boundaries of surviving in a certain environment become clear, and both consider existence in the ‘other’ world to be unthinkable. The Child is a noteworthy paradigm of how humans and the landscape are entwined, and grow to be almost one.
It is in this final passage which highlights this idea. This is extremely evident through the descriptive imagery of The Child by the stream, “stooping, kneeling, starting off again with his spring-heeled gait as he gathers small snails amongst the weeds”. It is through these present participles, “stooping”, and animalistic adjectives, “spring-heeled” that portrays to the reader how humans and the environment can grow to be almost one.
Ovid makes every effort for a sensation of belonging and harmony with all the elements, despite at first he attempts to discipline the Child, he constantly seems more captivated than concerned by the Boy’s unique skill to mirror several characteristics of the natural world. Like Ovid, the Boy is influenced by changes in environment. This is illustrated when he remarks “it is not at all as I had imagined. There are no wolves. It is clear sunlight”. Thus depicting Ovid’s fear of the unknown but also referring back to the idea of imagination, a concept prevalent throughout the whole novel, hence the title.
This concept of imagination is further alluded to in the prose. It highlights that Ovid is finally coming to terms with not only the environment and his surroundings, but also his body. He has had a physically and metal journey. He refers back to Rome, “Its strange to look back on the enormous landscape … across my life in Rome”, and the his “childhood”. Portraying the Ovid has finally accepted his punishment for “the footprints lead to this place and not other” and that The Child does not belong in a human civilization but rather his own civilization with nature.
It is this metaphor that leads onto his reflection of his childhood. This must be examined for it shows that despite how far he has come, he still thinks of his youth - its shows the idea of imagination t again through his dreams and thoughts. This allusion of his childhood on his farm concludes with the paradoxical statement, “It is spring. It is summer. I am three years old. I am sixty”. The short stagmatic sentences of “it is spring … I am three years old” refers t his dream, whereas “It is summer … I am sixty” refers to the present tense. Thus illustrating that despite his mental journey he is still in two minds, but everyday is finding it easier to identify with the culture – a completely different culture to Rome.
To further express the idea that The Child is finally back within his natural environment is the short sentence, “The Child is there”. This is extremely important as it highlights that Ovid now understands the social restraints put on the Child when in Tomis. Ovid realizes that you cannot force oneself to change their culture to suit the needs for others. For he is a wild boy.
Throughout the novel, animalistic and humanness and distinctions between the two become a topic of conversation and thought, especially with regard to the Child's belonging in part to both the animal world (being apparently raised by wolves) and the human world. While Ovid is convinced that the Child is indeed human. However, the boundaries between Ovid and the Child, which they both recognize and acknowledge, are what draws them together, and allows each to learn from the other. And this final passage of the novel represents the end of this learning cycle.
Ovid now understands that the boy is now back into his comfort zone, “I might call to him … to call to him might miss the whole fullness of this moment … the fullness is the Childs moving away from me”. Thus, through his relationship with The Child, Ovid becomes aware of the fact that to become connected to The Child he must come into a greater relationship with the natural environment. This ideal is fulfilled in passage of the novel, where both Ovid and The Child are frequently described as being 'there'. Hence presenting the capacity of the natural environment to supply unity and insignificance of human boundaries.
And it is these animalistic instincts that are resented yet again through the image o the water in the stream. “The stream shakes out its light … climbs … then balances”. It is these verbs that accentuate how much of an animal The Child is, yet has so many human characteristics. It portrays the freedom the wild boy finally feels – there are no boundaries, no constraints.
The final section of this prose consists of Ovid asking himself a series of rhetorical questions, “(he) stoops to gather – what? … has he already forgotten all purpose”. This summarizes a key theme within the novel – metamorphoses. Once Ovid met the Child, he tried to teach him human ways and mannerism. Yet in the end it was Ovid who was transformed. From a man dependent on human civilization to a man the can live the natural world totally dependent on the environment, “the living and edible snails that are no longer to my life”. Hence, the irony of it all is that the Child taught him these concepts.
Malouf concludes the novel with eh image of the wild boy walking on the water’s light. This illustrates the growth of the boy for every step he takes is a new stage in his life, “he takes the first step off it, moving slowly away now into the deepest distance”. The Child has now developed :slowly” from one stage to the next, “above the earth, above the water, on air”. Thus showing the learning cycles that The Child had, from the constraints put on him in Tomis to the freedom he feels back in his won environment. Whilst Ovid has completed his learning cycle, The Child is just beginning his.
The final paragraph of this passage is the repeated paradoxical statement. It portrays the since the poet has been in this new natural environment he is “immeasurably, unbearably happy”. These two strong adjectives impact the reader in understanding the freedom and satisfaction nature can provide humans. Moreover, it shows the development of Ovid, “I am three years old. I am sixty. I am six”.
By this stark contrast between the age barriers it highlights the physical, and mental journey that Ovid has come one. For now he feels “I am there”. He feels that he has finally reached the place of where he is meant to be, “the point on the earth’s surface where I disappear” – it’s the place where he could never find in all his wanderings, in all his dreams. There was no place like this in his imagination. The true feelings of Ovid are finally expressed in these final three words. This short sentence is intended to illustrate the eventual utopia of belonging and achievement.
Thus, this final section of Malouf’s An Imaginary Life examined the end result for not only the change in The Child, but also the metamorphoses Ovid has undergone. It illustrates the poet’s new outlook on life and the natural environment through the descriptive imagery. Also illustrating the natural animalistic instincts The Child has through the diction and verbs. Hence, expressing that Ovid has ironically completed his learning, for he wanted to transform the wild boy. A key theme – the interrelationship man and his environment – this is depicted through Ovid’s new reliance, not only human civilization but rather nature. Ovid has completed a journey of self0disrovery, leaning how to establish an existence based on the natural world, entering a partly unrealistic and imaginary way of life.
