Response paper on a novel - Essay Example

It is necessary to analyze the long and short-term effects of both parties while analyzing animal rights. Alma and Dave LaJoy are interested in saving different animals while Boyle tries to highlight a person with rights over nature. The author also uses flashback with intention of highlighting development of animal rights over a distinct period. The author also provides his viewpoint through stylistic and entertaining approaches. Alma’s job includes eradicating wild pigs and black rats. Coincidentally, the black rats are similar to the animals that Alma’s grandmother encountered after the shipwreck.

It is evident that Alma’s rival Dave LaJoy intends to save the animals that the park management wants to remove. This creates a disagreement between Alma and Dave LaJoy. The management decides to use poison to eliminate the rats while Dave flies to the forest to drop pellets containing Vitamin K that would neutralize the poison. The short-term effect is that rats could be eliminated. However, there will reach a point when the rats would become an endangered species or face elimination. Furthermore, elimination of rats could result to over population of murrelets that is a source of food for rats.

Additionally, other animals that feed on rats could get extinct. It is quite ironical for the National park to kill one species of animals to save the other. The elimination of rats could also open gates for lawsuits against the national park. Lastly, it creates enmity between Alma and Dave. As a result, Dave heckles Alma at meetings, has her car vandalized and plants a secret agent in the office to spy on her (Boyle 100). Boyle tries to show who has right and control over nature and animal rights.

It is particularly effective for author to use Alma and Dave who have different viewpoints on issue to tell the story from several angles. The most appealing character is behind the controlled execution of rats because she intends to protect the indigenous species of the islands though she disregards animal rights. However, there are faults in her techniques because indigenous animals that depend on rats for food would be endangered. It is also evident that the food chain could be distorted. The author demonstrates that no matter how compassionate the intention, every solution has consequences especially within complicated eco systems.

Boyle effectively communicates the fragility of Mother Nature’s (Boyle 150). The key highlight of her job is ensuring that Channel Islands’ original environment is restored to original environment. This will involve taking some hard decision and actions such as getting rid of wild pigs and black rats that would lead to animal rights concerns. Apparently, her grandmother had encountered some rats during her attempt to clamber into the Anacapa Island in the aftermath of the wreckage of the ship.

However, Alma’s work is not going to be an easy one owing to the conflicts of interests involved. While she is determined to, get rid of the animals from the Island, Dave Lajoy, and her nemesis thinks otherwise. He thinks that saving the animals is a better idea and commits him towards this course. As a result, an atmosphere of controversy ensues. While Alma relies on her environmental consciousness, her opponent, Dave is relying on his richness. However, none of them fits into their prejudices completely. T.C Boyle argues that this is a regular situation in real life (Boyle 183).

Boyle uses historical flashback because