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At Land by Maya Deren

            Using a series of visual metaphors, Maya Deren's At Land presents a vision of self-actualization through an elaborate series of symbols. Although presented in a different medium, Annie Dillard's "Living Like Weasels" is also a tale to being true to oneself by living instinctively. Deren's short and silent film demonstrates the protagonist's long journey to finding her true self in a dream-like atmosphere filled with numerous metaphors left for the viewer to interpret. Both artistic works provide powerful metaphors to illustrate to their audience the meaning of finding one's true self and how rewarding it can be.
             One of the first metaphors Deren uses in her film is the scene where the protagonist is crawling through the table of what looks like a fancy get together. In this scene the protagonist is wearing a simple dress while the rest of the guests are elegantly attired. The protagonist is clearly underdressed for this soiree but she doesn't stay to partake in the festivities because she knows she is not like them. Unlike most people who would put on a facade and pretend that this is their lifestyle to try and fit in, she moves right along to discover what else lies ahead. To conform to this lifestyle would only be an injustice to herself, as she would be living in a lie for the rest of her life.
             A particularly mesmerizing scene in the short film is when the protagonist interferes with an ongoing chess game. At first the game of chess presents an easy metaphor to the "game" of life, which at the beginning of the scene she is merely a passive spectator. Then she decides to partake in the game and initially takes the pawn piece. The pawn piece then turns into the Bishop, which clearly symbolizes religion and it possibly playing a role in guiding her in life. The piece then turns back into its original form. Through the pawn is the lowest value in the game of chess she still decides to hold on to it as a sign of her taking control of her own life and the belief that one day that she will amount to great things and eventually become the queen of her life.


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