“For each of us—furred, feathered, or skinned alive—the whole earth balances on the single precarious point of our own survival.”

Throughout the book, Kingsolver hopes to instill a strong sense of humanity’s animal nature in her readers. In her first essay, she begins by comparing our innate survival instinct to that of other creatures. She credits this instinct for the human ability to weather harsh traumas and unexpected problems.

“This is elemental mortality, the root of all passion.”

The rain in Arizona reminds Kingsolver that despite what we think, humans are still dependent on the rhythms of nature. When we are in a harsh landscape, we are reminded of our own mortality. When the rain comes, passion erupts, the humans dance and the frogs croak endlessly.

“Ownership is an entirely human construct.”

Kingsolver contends that no matter what humans claim, no one can own a tree. No other animal, even highly territorial species, claims to own land in the same way that we do. She becomes happier when she relinquishes her need to hold on to her land against the javelinas and allows the animals to dictate how she plants things.