Anecdote of the Jar Man and the Natural World Quotes

This line shows us about the man-made. Both the jar and the borders of the state of Tennessee were conceived and made by men. Thus, the idea of Tennessee symbolizes men trying to control nature.

Here, the wilderness is contrasted with the man-made. Except, "slovenly" is a pretty man-made word to use to describe the wilderness. Things that are neat and well-kept—in other words, far from slovenly—are normally the way they are because a human has made them that way. So, the wilderness is being distanced as far as possible from the man-made, even while it's bowing to the will of this little jar.

Again, we see the jar exercising control over the wilderness. We can almost imagine the trees like subjects of the court, all bowing down at once to pay homage to the king—in this case, a jar.