The Loss of the Creature - Miguel Jimenez UW English 131...

Miguel Jimenez
October 10, 2011
UW English 131
Essay #4
Essay #4: The Loss of the Creature
While in a tuberculosis asylum, Walker Percy began to question everything he had
once believed. He concluded that everything he thought to be his own beliefs might
actually have been prescribed and imposed by society. In his writing “The Loss of the
Creature” Percy claims that society is responsible for the lack of individuals and we face
an uphill battle to recover our sovereignty, “The person is not something one can study
and provide for; he is something one struggles for” (Percy 9).
Percy begins by discussing the Grand Canyon—he suggests that although we may
be seeing the same Grand Canyon as Garcia Lopez de Cardenas we may only be seeing a
millionth of the true beauty. Sightseers do not appreciate the Grand Canyon on its own
qualities; they appreciate it based on how appropriately or poorly it follows their
established image of the Grand Canyon. They might find themselves in doubt about
whether it as special as it should be. Percy claims that we have lost the “Value P” because
society has already formulated our views on the Grand Canyon through postcards, books,
and brochures. Establishing a picture in a sightseer’s head ruins the beauty of sight—
possibly even making them feel cheated, leaving them dissatisfied. Take for example a
daughter receiving a car for her sweet sixteen; she knows she is receiving a car but does
not know the model. When it comes time to see the car her mind begins to wonder—
maybe her father bought her that 2010 Land Rover or perhaps the 2011 BMW.

Jimenez
Instead, what she comes in contact with is a 1999 Ford Escort; because of her
expectations it is no longer an “accidental encounter” and she finds herself disappointed.
He also indicates that we don’t get the full picture because of the million who have also
seen it; he ask, “Is looking like sucking; the more lookers, the less there is to see?” (2).
Percy describes a couple visiting Mexico who wants to get away from the “beaten
track” and their fellow American companions; they then find themselves lost and end up
in an Indian village. There, the couple experiences a religious ceremony and corn dance;
they say to themselves, “This is it” and “Now we are really living”. The couple spends