Written by Zoe Sarkis
In “The Chambered Nautilus”, Oliver Wendell Holmes emphasizes the theme, as one nears the end of his or her life, one should willingly accept death in order to attain spiritual fulfillment.
In personifying the nautilus, Holmes bolsters the comparison between the mollusk and a man’s soul, which encourages the reader to adopt similar principles that are exhibited by the humanized creature.
As the nautilus nears the end of its life, it abandons its “outgrown” shell “... by life’s unresting sea”, and willingly submits to death (Holmes 35).
The nautilus relinquishes its vessel in the way a human spirit disowns his or her body upon one’s death.
Though human nature compels one to dread death, the nautilus defies this instinct by accepting the end of its journey and abandoning its shell.
Holmes describes the grandeur of the nautilus shedding its shell, leaving behind its “low-vaulted past” for a “nobler” state of existence (Holmes 31-32).
In dignifying the nautilus with the ability to consciously discard its past for a more honorable state of existence, Holmes personifies the nautilus as a human-like creature capable of immaterial growth.
I agree with Holmes’s message, as Holmes’s well-founded view suggests an alternative mindset for those frightened by the prospect of dying; it stands as a comfort and advocates for the spiritual improvement of individuals nearing the end of their lives.
Zoe Sarkis is a 17-year-old journalist and poet born and bred in Greece. She is a teen services librarian and teaches small art classes for kids of ages six to eight.
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