Feeling burned out in her life in Connecticut, Lindbergh embarks on a two week getaway to the seaside, which consists

of one

week alone and a second week during which she is joined by her sister. While she initially feels guilty for leaving her family

behind, she soon becomes content in her solitude and enamored with the seashore itself. Lindbergh views the sea as

a metaphor for life’s unpredictability and advises readers that if they are patient, the sea will offer them certain rewards.

Additional metaphors are created out of the shells she finds along the beach. Lindbergh notes that choosing shells is similar to

making choices in life, in that you can’t, nor should you, try to collect all of the shells you have to select only a few and try to be

satisfied with those choices.

The first shell Lindbergh collects is the Channeled Whelk. The author reflects on the perfectly designed home the sea snail lives

in, and, looking at the empty shell, wonders why a creature might decide to abandon the sense of security that the shell

provides. These musings also reflect possible reasons a person might have for choosing to venture out into the unknown in their

life. The second shell Lindbergh turns her attention to is the Moon Shell. She describes the Moon Shell, which has a black eye at

its center. To Lindbergh, the Moon Shell represents solitude. She notes that many people live in fear of being alone and attempt

to fill moments of quiet with inane chatter, music, or television. Subsequently, these people do not take the opportunity

solitude provides for fostering an inner life. Lindbergh encourages readers to “re-learn to be alone.”

Next, Lindbergh examines a shell called the Double-Sunrise. The Double-Sunrise is used as a metaphor for a fledgling

relationship as Lindbergh begins marinating on love. In this section she takes issue with the idea of expecting to be someone’s

“one-and-only.” Lindbergh does not believe that one can never be someone else’s only love, rather she does not believe

someone can be the “one-and-only” in perpetuity. The error, she says, is not accepting that being the only object of someone

else’s affection is a fleeting state. Finally, the author looks to the Oyster shell. The oyster shell represents the middle years of a

marriage. Lindbergh notes that this particular shell is not an object of beauty, but she admires its functionality. The oyster works

hard within its shell to adapt itself to its environment and to survive, in the same way a couple has to work on their relationship

to build and maintain a life together. Still, as with the Double-Sunrise, Lindbergh addresses the idea of permanence. She

wonders if the Oyster shell continues to be the most apt symbol for marriage in its later years when a couple’s life changes yet

again as children grow up and leave home, leaving them free to explore new experiences.

Ultimately, Lindbergh achieves a sense of peace and contentment over the course of her beach vacation. She is aware, however,

that this tranquility will never last as she once again becomes absorbed in the day-to-day minutia of her life back in Connecticut.

She decides to take her shells with her when she returns home. She hopes that the shells will serve as a reminder to her that

life, much like the ocean tides, goes through phases and that each part of the cycle is natural and valid.
 The reason I choose this novel is because it talks about youth and age, love and marriage, peace, solitude and
contentment. The Gift from the Sea made me sit back and think about what I thought about my life. It made me think about my

family and the way we interact as a unit all within the same “shell. ” After reading Anne’s book I felt very centered, like I had a

new view on my life. I felt more willing to accept the inevitable changes in life. I connected with many of the points in Gift from

the Sea. Anne states in her book that “woman instinctively wants to give, yet resents giving herself In small pieces. she

continues by saying that “ what women resent is not so much giving herself in pieces, so much as giving

herself purposelessly. You can still lead a full life without the little things, but if you take care of
the things that matter first you still have room for other, smaller things. This prevents a woman
from “giving of herself purposelessly” because she gives fully to the things that matter first.
Women must always have 100% to give for their children, 100% for their husband, 100% for
their friends, work, school and so on. In order to give fully a woman must stop and replenish
herself regularly as her day to day life demands far more than 100% of herself.

Gift from the

sea
By Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Summarized by:
Crizhia Althea salinas

The reason I choose this novel is because it

talks about youth and age, love and marriage, peace,