Men are like plants, the goodness and flavor of the fruit proceeds from the peculiar soil and exposition in which they grow.  We are nothing but what we derive from the air we breathe, the climate we inhabit, the government we obey, the system of religion we profess, and the nature of our employment.

 

--From J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur’s Letters from an American Farmer (1782)

 

 

The Myth of Antaeus:

 

Antaeus was the son of Poseidon and Ge (or Gia, mother earth).  He was a giant who wrestled Hercules.  Whenever he was thrown to the ground, he arose stronger than before from the contact with his mother.  Perceiving this, Hercules finally lifted Antaeus into the air and crushed him to death. 

 

The myth of Antaeus simply refers to anyone who is replenished and restored by returning to nature.  As a romantic notion, the myth is used to refer to a process of revitalization whereby an individual, once oppressed and overwhelmed by society, seeks solace in nature.  In literature, characters often seek such restoration in nature through the simple rituals of hunting, fishing, and camping.