Death of Naturalist : Summary
Death of Naturalist is a notable literary work by Seamus Heaney. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of Death of Naturalist.
Summary
The poem “Death of a Naturalist” describes how a young boy (the poet himself) changes from a curious child who loves nature to a frightened person who starts to see it differently. It shows the loss of childhood innocence and the beginning of maturity.
The Flax-Dam and the Boy’s Curiosity: In the first part of the poem, Heaney remembers a place near his home called the flax-dam. It was a place where flax plants were left to rot in water. It smelled bad and was full of insects. The sun made it hot. The air was filled with the sound of buzzing bluebottles (flies) and the croaking of frogs.
Even though it was dirty and smelly, the boy found it wonderful and magical. He loved looking at the frogspawn—the jelly-like eggs laid by frogs. He used to collect the frogspawn in jars. He kept the frogspawn on the windowsill at home and at school. He watched them carefully as they turned into tadpoles.
His teacher, Miss Walls, explained in class how frogs reproduce. How the female frog lays eggs and the male frog (bullfrog) croaks loudly. The boy listened with excitement and loved learning about nature. He felt close to the natural world and wanted to explore it more.
The Change—Fear Replaces Wonder: But in the second part of the poem, everything changes. One hot day, the boy returns to the same place. The air is full of a terrible smell of cow dung. The frogs seem huge, ugly, and angry. Their croaking sounds loud and rough—like a deep, angry song. Their bodies look swollen and slimy. Their movements seem threatening. The boy no longer sees them as cute creatures of his childhood. Instead, he feels they are watching him and taking revenge for taking their frogspawn before. The frogs now look like monsters. The frogs no longer like the playful creatures he once admired. He gets scared, runs away, and never wants to go near them again.
Meaning and Feelings: Through this experience, the boy’s innocent love for nature “dies.” That is why the poem is called “Death of a Naturalist.” It does not mean a real death, but the death of the child’s curiosity and innocence. As he grows older, he starts to see nature as something wild, powerful, and frightening. The poem shows how childhood wonder changes into adult awareness. It is a natural part of growing up.