This month’s story is one that has been much discussed by commentators and is open to a number of different interpretations with some saying it is a reflection on American society at the time, or even a representation of a clash of religious beliefs. But the aspect of the story that I want to look at is the way in which natural phenomena and the natural world are so important.
Herman Melville is perhaps best known for writing Moby Dick, another tale where the natural world is a crucial factor, but we are going to look at The Lightning-Rod Man, a short story which features a visit to the narrator from a very persistent door-to-door salesman. As always, you will benefit the most from this column if you read the story for yourself. You can read it here: https://writ.rs/lightningrod