Once More to the Lake: memories

As children, not many people put into thought the idea of growing up. Frequently, we are more focused on what game we will play with our friends or what we will ask for when our birthday arrives. In Once More to the Lake by E. B. White, the story shows how the transformation from being a child to being an adult can sneak up on us.
White tells a story of his childhood in this passage. He tells of the many summers that his family ventured out to a lake throughout his childhood. Activities that they would do such as fishing are described in this story. It becomes clear that the summers in which his family traveled to that one lake are fond memories that he possesses.
After growing up and marrying his wife, E. B. White went on to have a son. He wished to share the same memories with his son that he shared himself with his father. For that reason, they traveled to the lake. White goes on to realize that he has suddenly switched roles. He is now the father figure, watching his child at the lake.
Many of the situations that he experiences with his son are things that he remembers experiencing himself. These things trigger memories from his childhood and at the same time create new memories for him to share with his son. In the last sentence of the story White says, “As he buckled the swollen belt, suddenly my groin felt the chill of death.” It seems like he is trying to comprehend the fact that he is no longer the child, trying to comprehend the fact that he may not have another child to share these memories with. However, he realized the fact that his son is now retaining many of the same memories that he has from his childhood with his father. Time passed by quickly, however due to the memories that were created, he can feel like a child again in a sense.