The Solace of Open Spaces by Gretel Ehrlich

Gretel Ehrlich is an author, poet, traveler, and essayist. She was born in California and moved to Wyoming in her later years. In Ehrlich's essay, The Solace of Open Spaces, she describes what it is like to live in the state of Wyoming. In every description that she provides, it seems that she always describes how vast the land is and how little actually covers it. She simply shares some of the experiences she has there, and describes it in a way that makes the reader feel like they are on a barren, alien planet. By the end of the essay, I will admit, I was very confused. She ends her essay, after talking so much about the land itself, speaking of outer space and how she believed that it could heal what was "divided and burdensome in us," (Atwan 476). I sat, brows furrowed, rereading the ending over and over; How exactly did this relate to the essay? It was only when I reread the title that I came to my senses. The space that she was speaking of, I recognized, was not simply outer space, but the space of the world that she had lived in for so long. Wyoming was filled with nothing but space, nearly barren to human eyes (or at least, that's how she describes it). I hadn't picked up on it before, but rereading the essay she compares the land to outer space several times, one significant statement being "Canyons curve down like galaxies to meet the oncoming rush of flat land," (Atwan 68). Ehrlich says that, originally, she hadn't planned to stay. Instead, she was coming here to 'lose herself' in the emptiness. However, what happened was the completely opposite. She says that the rawness and numbness inside of her had faded away; the country was a clean slate for her. She complains often that those who pass through don't recognize what is actually valuable in Wyoming in the beginning of the essay. We, as readers, are left to wonder, what? She is basically saying 'there's nothing in Wyoming. Nothing.' Then what are we missing, we may ask? I find that Erlich works backwards in answering that question. She gives us the curiosity and confusion at the beginning of the essay, forcing us to think exactly what passersby are thinking. She feeds the confusion more and more, making us doubtful of what she offers to us. Finally, when she makes her point, she doesn't slam it in our faces. She gives us a metaphor, instead, and makes us make the connection of the metaphor to the story. Ehrlich's ability to provide us with such an artfully written finale made me respect her work, even if at the beginning I doubted it. I'd be interesting in reading more of her work in the future and seeing what else she has to offer.

Alone: Finding The Light Among Nothing

Francesco Romoli