The Chambered Nautilis

In "The Chambered Nautilus" by Oliver Wendell the snail in the shell is growing up just like we do, birth to death.

We relate more to this animal than many of us may realize. We grow out of clothes, our socks, and shoes, much like they gradually grow out of the chambers of their shell. They move through the chambers of their shell after they have grown and no longer comfortable in the space that now seems so small. We like snails grow uncomfortable in our own shells. We begin to like different things in our life in our seperate stages of growth. As a child, we play with toys, eat, and sleep pretty much the whole day, as we grow up we begin to take responsibility for our own actions, going to school, and realizing there is more to life than just minor activities. Once you have become an adult you are set on raising a family, making a living, and preparing for retirement.

During the first stages of life you are free and everything seems fresh, but as you grow you lose your youth, your ability to do many of the activities you were once able to, and you grow closer to the reallity of death. You simply shrug off the facts of growing old so you can feel young again. Snails realize they are towards the end of their life span once they are in the final chamber, much like we realize old age is setting in at about 40 to 50 years of age. We all grow up, change, and even feel uncomfortable in our own shells regardless of the amount of space. We, like snails, grow gradually, live as good of a life as we can, and eventually die.

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