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Literary Analysis of The Last Child in The Woods by Richard Louv

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Published: Dec 16, 2021

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Works Cited:

• Crane, M. (2010). The Devil and Leo Tolstoy's "How Much Land Does a Man Need?". Religion and the Arts, 14(1-2), 118-139.
• Gifford, H. (1972). Tolstoy's Fables. The Sewanee Review, 80(2), 269-284. JSTOR.
• Huddleston, A. (2005). "How Much Land Does a Man Need?" - A Reading. Christianity & Literature, 54(2), 195-209.
• Kearns, K. (1991). Tolstoy and the Rhetoric of Moral Revolt: "How Much Land Does a Man Need?" and "What Men Live By". Studies in Short Fiction, 28(3), 365-375.
• McLean, H. M. (1980). The Irony of Faith and the Paradox of Freedom in Tolstoy's "How Much Land Does a Man Need?". Religion & Literature, 12(2), 19-33. JSTOR.
• Miles, M. (1991). Leo Tolstoy: The Critical Heritage. Routledge.
• Nathan, L. (2010). Tolstoy's 'How Much Land Does a Man Need?' in the Context of the Development of Russian Short Fiction. Forum for Modern Language Studies, 46(4), 403-414.
• Olson, K. (2005). How much is enough? Counting the cost of living in Leo Tolstoy's "How Much Land Does a Man Need?". Journal of European Studies, 35(1), 67-80.
• Parsons, L. A. (1982). Tolstoy and the Devil. The Slavic and East European Journal, 26(1), 24-39. JSTOR.
• Shankar, R. (2014). Death and the Meaning of Life: The Moral and Religious Frameworks of Tolstoy's "How Much Land Does a Man Need?". Religion & Literature, 46(3), 61-82. JSTOR.

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Book Review: Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv

People of a certain age (myself included) remember growing up outside. Our families opened the doors, shooed us out, and shut them again, leaving us free to wander through our neighborhoods, parks, and/or wild places, making up our own games. I have particularly vivid memories of being let loose on the beaches of Southern California, with only a vague notion of adults close enough to make sure we didn’t drown or get too sunburned but otherwise being free to run around, swim, and build and destroy things in the sand.

These are memories that today’s children may never have, worries Richard Louv, and his book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder outlines the risks, challenges, and solutions for children who are growing up indoors.

Last Child in the Woods is a comprehensive book, even a bit daunting at first glance, but it should be required reading for anyone with children in their lives. Based on meticulous research and using anecdotes as well as science, Louv takes a close look at the changes in society that have distanced today’s kids from nature — as well as the changes children’s physical and social lives — and offers both stark warnings and hopeful solutions.

Divided into seven sections (beginning with quotations from writers from Whitman to Thoreau to Frost, and many others), Last Child in the Woods covers the immense gifts that nature offers us humans as well as the onset of fears that often cause parents to keep their kids too close. Louv offers data that indicate how the benefits of nature and outdoor physical activity can help with many of the problems that plague childhood populations. To offer a few examples: One study shows that the amount of TV children watch correlates with measures of their body fat; Cornell University researchers discovered that even a room with a view of nature can protect children from stress; natural surroundings encourage boys and girls to engage in make-believe play in egalitarian ways; researchers recommend nature to minimize symptoms of ADHD (“[e]ven without corroborating evidence, many parents notice significant changes in their hyperactive child’s behavior when they hike in the mountains or enjoy other nature-oriented settings”).

In addition to changes caused by housing developments — such as homeowners’ association rules or a lack of green space — issues from stranger danger to fear of the outdoors also prevent children from running around outside. Yet Louv points out that so many perceived dangers are overly hyped, and that in fact, more dangers lurk indoors than out, from toxins to poisonous spiders (the brown recluse, as one example, prefers to live indoors) to allergens to the very real risk of obesity.

Not only are there short-term and developmental effects from what Louv calls nature-deficit disorder , but distance from nature can have a wide-reaching effect on our planet’s well-being in the long run as well: “Lacking direct experience with nature, children begin to associate it with fear and apocalypse, not joy and wonder.” How can children be expected to preserve and protect something they fear rather than love?

Last Child in the Woods is powerful and important, though there is one especially disappointing section of the book, in which Louv makes “the case for hunting and fishing.” While Louv admits he does not encourage hunting, he does encourage fishing, acknowledging “the slim moral logic” dividing the two. While he offers a bit of balance, citing PETA’s objections to fishing as a sport taught in Scouting programs and quoting a young spokesperson who says, “Scouting has taught me that Scouts should not harm the environment or animals in it,” Louv nevertheless goes on to encourage fishing as a way to engage with nature—a very poor message to send to children if we want them to respect the environment in a non-destructive way. And anyone who wants to make an argument for catch-and-release should read Virginia Morell’s Animal Wise (just for starters), which makes clear that, with pain receptors on their heads (trout have twenty-two of them), fish do feel pain; there is simply no way to catch fish that is not cruel or violent, and it’s a shame that Louv encourages fishing as a way for children to engage with the natural world.

Still, otherwise the book offers other good tips and advice for bringing kids into nature. For anyone who might feel overwhelmed by the usual stressors such as a lack of time or travel funds, Louv reminds us to start with small steps: “Encourage your child to get to know a ten-square-yard area at the edge of a field, pond, or pesticide-free garden.Look for the edges between habitats: where the trees stop and a field begins; where rocks and earth meet water. Life is always at the edges.”

Louv emphasizes that the solutions will need to go beyond parenting to educators, school systems, camps, neighborhoods, and cities—but that spending quality time in nature is as essential to children’s development as it is to the care-taking of the planet we call home. “Nature—the sublime, the harsh, and the beautiful—offers something that the street or gated community cannot. Nature presents the young with something so much greater than they are; it offers an environment where they can easily contemplate infinity and eternity…Immersion in the natural environment cuts to the chase, exposes the young directly and immediately to the very elements from which humans evolved: earth, water, air, and other living kin, large and small.”

Midge Raymond is a co-founder of Ashland Creek Press. She is the author of the novel My Last Continent and the award-winning short story collection Forgetting English . Her suspense novel, Devils Island , co-authored with John Yunker, is forthcoming from Oceanview Publishing in 2024, and her novel Floreana is forthcoming from Little A in 2025.

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Last Child in the Woods

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Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder

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Part 7 Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 7: “to be amazed”, part 7, chapter 21 summary: “the spiritual necessity of nature for the young”.

Louv explores spirituality, nature, and childhood, revealing connections and ethical considerations that are often overlooked. While the American consciousness around environmental issues is evolving, parents see a strong “responsibility to descendants” (304), which they often express in spiritual terms like “God’s creation.” This spiritual perspective is increasingly being recognized as a powerful tool for environmental advocacy.

Spirituality in nature isn’t confined to a particular religion; it’s a universal experience. Ethical values and questions about life and death are often first introduced to children through experiences in nature, like fishing. At the same time, nature is “exquisite, and utterly indifferent” (296), offering children a sense of belonging to a larger system.

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Last Child in the Woods

How parents can relieve kids’ symptoms, right in their own backyards..

by Richard Louv Algonquin Books, $13.95 Purchase Last Child in the Woods

Richard Louv is careful to say that the condition he coins, “nature-deficit disorder,” will never be given as an actual medical diagnosis. The thesis of Last Child in the Woods is that today’s children suffer from too little exposure to nature. Louv argues that digging in the soil or wandering in the woods is essential for any child’s development, and he presents evidence that spending time outdoors helps relieve the symptoms of ADHD.

Weaving together compelling anecdotes and scientific data, Louv says that today’s children are more disconnected from the outdoors than those of any previous generation. A number of factors-loss of open space, fear of injury, and, of course, electronic forms of entertainment-keep kids inside the house. “I like to play indoors better ’cause that’s where all the electrical outlets are,” one fourth-grader told him. Louv traces a host of emerging trends, from higher levels of childhood obesity and depression to a dearth of creativity and lower academic performance, back to this nature deficit.

The author devotes a full chapter to the link with ADHD. The human brain, Louv speculates, might be hard-wired to thrive on the sensory input provided by swaying trees and gurgling brooks, and their absence may change us in fundamental ways. But whether or not nature deficit contributes to attention deficit, he argues, nature can help cure it. Louv cites research showing that daily play or activity in “green” environments can reduce symptoms in children diagnosed with ADHD. (See “ The Natural Remedy for ADD ” to read an interview with the author of one of these studies)

Louv offers more than evidence supporting his theory – he passes along advice and activity ideas for parents. For the charming game “The Sound of a Creature Not Stirring,” parent and child list unheard “sounds,” like an apple ripening or leaves changing colors , as they wander through the woods. After all, the cure for nature-deficit disorder is right in our own backyards.

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• Last Child in the Woods Summary

by Richard Louv

These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own.

Written by people who wish to remain anonymous

Last Child in the Woods is a nonfiction book by Richard Louv that poses as investigative journalism that is meant to educate people. In his book, Louv presents a term nature-deficit disorder which according to the author is not a medical nor a scientific but merely a term to define the current state of our urban lifestyles. Louv argues that in this era children are spending more and more time indoors when they should be outside interacting and allowing their imaginations to go wild.

Louv blends studies, statistics, and interviews with different children and their parents to create a vivid picture of how time outside has been a major influence of child obesity, ADHD, anxiety, and depression in today’s youth. The journalist also states that because of video games, television, computers, and lack of time and money, young people are growing up in a world comprised of detachment. They lack social skills and become susceptible to increasing drug abuse in the country.

In one of the chapters, Louv discloses principal reasons today’s parents feel the need to protect their kids from the perceived dangers of the outdoors. After interviewing different parents it was clear that all of them shared one trait, fear. The interviewed parents all claimed the outdoors is full of crazy people, people who needed years of therapy, or to be imprisoned. Fear plays a significant role in our culture and unrealistically shapes our perceptions. Louv while sensitive to the need to protect our children recommends a new approach to keeping them safe. Instead of teaching them to stay away from strangers, children should be taught to recognize particular habits and situations that pose a threat to their well-being. According to Louv, in doing so, children will be free to interact and learn from different individuals.

Last Child in the Woods is not a doomsday warning but rather a collection of evidence that recommends a major shift on how we interact, educate, and develop the world. The author recommends we take a different approach to nature and education, he insists that people should utilize land in a way that shows respect for nature. Education institutions should teach children on how to exist in this world and utilize the natural resources instead of posing nature as something to be feared and shunned.

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Study Guide for Last Child in the Woods

Last Child in the Woods study guide contains a biography of Richard Louv, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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Last Child in the Woods essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv.

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Excerpt from Last Child in the Woods

Introduction.

One evening when my boys were younger, Matthew, then ten, looked at me from across a restaurant table and said quite seriously, "Dad, how come it was more fun when you were a kid?"

I asked what he meant.

"Well, you're always talking about your woods and tree houses, and how you used to ride that horse down near the swamp."

At first, I thought he was irritated with me. I had, in fact, been telling him what it was like to use string and pieces of liver to catch crawdads in a creek, something I'd be hard-pressed to find a child doing these days. Like many parents, I do tend to romanticize my own childhood—and, I fear, too readily discount my children's experiences of play and adventure. But my son was serious; he felt he had missed out on something important.

He was right. Americans around my age, baby boomers or older, enjoyed a kind of free, natural play that seems, in the era of kid pagers, instant messaging, and Nintendo, like a quaint artifact.

Within the space of a few decades, the way children understand and experience nature has changed radically. The polarity of the relationship has reversed. Today, kids are aware of the global threats to the environment—but their physical contact, their intimacy with nature, is fading. That's exactly the opposite of how it was when I was a child.

As a boy, I was unaware that my woods were ecologically connected with any other forests. Nobody in the 1950s talked about acid rain or holes in the ozone layer or global warming. But I knew my woods and my fields; I knew every bend in the creek and dip in the beaten dirt paths. I wandered those woods even in my dreams. A kid today can likely tell you about the Amazon rain forest—but not about the last time he or she explored the woods in solitude, or lay in a field listening to the wind and watching the clouds move.

This book explores the increasing divide between the young and the natural world, and the environmental, social, psychological, and spiritual implications of that change. It also describes the accumulating research that reveals the necessity of contact with nature for healthy child—and adult—development.

While I pay particular attention to children, my focus is also on those Americans born during the past two to three decades. The shift in our relationship to the natural world is startling, even in settings that one would assume are devoted to nature. Not that long ago, summer camp was a place where you camped, hiked in the woods, learned about plants and animals, or told firelight stories about ghosts or mountain lions. As likely as not today, "summer camp" is a weight-loss camp, or a computer camp. For a new generation, nature is more abstraction than reality. Increasingly, nature is something to watch, to consume, to wear—to ignore. A recent television ad depicts a four-wheel-drive SUV racing along a breathtakingly beautiful mountain stream—while in the backseat two children watch a movie on a flip-down video screen, oblivious to the landscape and water beyond the windows.

A century ago, the historian Frederick Jackson Turner announced that the American frontier had ended. His thesis has been discussed and debated ever since. Today, a similar and more important line is being crossed.

Our society is teaching young people to avoid direct experience in nature. That lesson is delivered in schools, families, even organizations devoted to the outdoors, and codified into the legal and regulatory structures of many of our communities. Our institutions, urban/suburban design, and cultural attitudes unconsciously associate nature with doom—while disassociating the outdoors from joy and solitude. Wellmeaning public-school systems, media, and parents are effectively scaring children straight out of the woods and fields. In the patent-or-perish environment of higher education, we see the death of natural history as the more hands-on disciplines, such as zoology, give way to more theoretical and remunerative microbiology and genetic engineering. Rapidly advancing technologies are blurring the lines between humans, other animals, and machines. The postmodern notion that reality is only a construct—that we are what we program—suggests limitless human possibilities; but as the young spend less and less of their lives in natural surroundings, their senses narrow, physiologically and psychologically, and this reduces the richness of human experience.

Yet, at the very moment that the bond is breaking between the young and the natural world, a growing body of research links our mental, physical, and spiritual health directly to our association with nature—in positive ways. Several of these studies suggest that thoughtful exposure of youngsters to nature can even be a powerful form of therapy for attention-deficit disorders and other maladies. As one scientist puts it, we can now assume that just as children need good nutrition and adequate sleep, they may very well need contact with nature.

Reducing that deficit—healing the broken bond between our young and nature—is in our self-interest, not only because aesthetics or justice demands it, but also because our mental, physical, and spiritual health depends upon it. The health of the earth is at stake as well. How the young respond to nature, and how they raise their own children, will shape the configurations and conditions of our cities, homes—our daily lives. The following pages explore an alternative path to the future, including some of the most innovative environment—based school programs; a reimagining and redesign of the urban environment-what one theorist calls the coming " zoopolis "; ways of addressing the challenges besetting environmental groups; and ways that faith-based organizations can help reclaim nature as part of the spiritual development of children. Parents, children, grandparents, teachers, scientists, religious leaders, environmentalists, and researchers from across the nation speak in these pages. They recognize the transformation that is occurring. Some of them paint another future, in which children and nature are reunited—and the natural world is more deeply valued and protected.

During the research for this book, I was encouraged to find that many people now of college age—those who belong to the first generation to grow up in a largely de-natured environment—have tasted just enough nature to intuitively understand what they have missed. This yearning is a source of power. These young people resist the rapid slide from the real to the virtual, from the mountains to the Matrix. They do not intend to be the last children in the woods.

My sons may yet experience what author Bill McKibben has called "the end of nature," the final sadness of a world where there is no escaping man. But there is another possibility: not the end of nature, but the rebirth of wonder and even joy. Jackson's obituary for the American frontier was only partly accurate: one frontier did disappear, but a second one followed, in which Americans romanticized, exploited, protected, and destroyed nature. Now that frontier—which existed in the family farm, the woods at the end of the road, the national parks, and in our hearts—is itself disappearing or changing beyond recognition.

But, as before, one relationship with nature can evolve into another. This book is about the end of that earlier time, but it is also about a new frontier—a better way to live with nature.

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Last Child in the Woods

An Analysis of Nature, Child, and Time through a Lens of Eco-Mindfulness

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With the publication of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder in 2005, Richard Louv introduced the term “nature-deficit disorder” and illuminated children’s physical, mental, and spiritual need for nature. As the term is not a clinical one and refers to aspects of human existence that are difficult to define, determination of its fortitude is complicated as well. In an attempt to objectify aspects of meaning embodied by the term, three assumptions underlying its construct are critiqued here on the criteria of believability, authoritativeness, logicalness, validity, emotionality, speculativeness, masking by neutrality/objectivity, and applicability for science teaching practice. After analysis, findings within particular criteria remain subjective, serving as possible support that there are aspects of humanity and nature that are inexplicable or have explanations yet to be decided. In spite of this, the construct of nature-deficit disorder serves as a guideline reminding caregivers and educators of the importance of the outdoors in child development. Realization of this importance can be described as the development of eco-mindfulness. In this chapter we analyze nature-deficit disorder and introduce eco-mindfulness as a remedy.

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Mitchell, D., Tippins, D.J., Kim, Y.A., Perkins, G.D., Rudolph, H.A. (2016). Last Child in the Woods. In: Powietrzynska, M., Tobin, K. (eds) Mindfulness and Educating Citizens for Everyday Life. Bold Visions in Educational Research. SensePublishers, Rotterdam. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6300-570-8_9

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LAST CHILD IN THE WOODS: An Analysis of Nature, Child, and Time through a Lens of Eco-Mindfulness

With the publication of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder in 2005, Richard Louv introduced the term " nature-deficit disorder " and illuminated children's physical, mental, and spiritual need for nature. As the term is not a clinical one and refers to aspects of human existence that are difficult to define, determination of its fortitude is complicated as well. In an attempt to objectify aspects of meaning embodied by the term, three assumptions underlying its construct are critiqued here on the criteria of believability, authoritativeness, logicalness, validity, emotionality, speculativeness, masking by neutrality/objectivity, and applicability for science teaching practice. After analysis, findings within particular criteria remain subjective, serving as possible support that there are aspects of humanity and nature that are inexplicable or have explanations yet to be decided. In spite of this, the construct of nature-deficit disorder serves as a guideline reminding caregivers and educators of the importance of the outdoors in child development. Realization of this importance can be described as the development of eco-mindfulness. In this chapter we analyze nature-deficit disorder and introduce eco-mindfulness as a remedy.

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Last child in the woods : saving our children from nature-deficit disorder /

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