There is something very romantic about The Country of the Pointed Firs. I found this echoed in one quote in particular that stood out to me. One page 43, the narrator states,"There is all the pleasure that one can have in gold-digging in finding one's hopes satisfied in the riches of a good hill of potatoes". Through the wonderfully detailed descriptions of beautiful setting throughout the book, I feel the romantic ideals of the inner peace, self awareness, and personal reward found in the experience of nature. For the narrator, there is no money or material possession, like "gold", that could hold a candle to the spiritual reward she finds in the nature around her and in good-old-fashioned "getting your hands dirty" ideology. I related to this notion, as I have always felt that being one with nature in a personal way can be one of the most self-reflective and deeply clarifying experiences one can have.
I have to agree about the romanticized scenery. Everything seemed airy and happy etc. Something that I thought was interesting was the fact that the narrator wasn't as happy as everyone else with her surroundings. She says she doesn't like living so close to everyone and that she is sick of hearing the sea. She doesn't seem to enjoy the sense of community or even where it is.
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