OnlineBookClub.org

Mindi wrote:I believe she experienced the things she described in some way. It may have been partially imaginary, but everything she saw had a purpose.

I believe that the experience came from something external and supernatural, which is why I don’t think her imagination had anything to do with it.

I do agree on everything having a purpose which will be revealed completely in the coming sequels.

Most likely she was both. The imagination opens her to have the vision and to openly trust it as a vision afterward.

prenaramesh wrote:

CatInTheHat wrote:It seems to me that she experienced the stories she shared; they were too real not to be true.

Yes, I agree. And there was a lot of detail as well which I don't think a thirteen-year-old could have just imagined.

I think so as well. It seems fitting to be both

I believe that she had a spirit journey . She went through a period of deprivation resulting in a vision reveling something about the person and world around them.

Sarah's experience is portrayed as the result of a fall. Her memories are portrayed as reality. The memories were the most important part of her experience.

jimthorne2 wrote:Sarah's experience is portrayed as the result of a fall. Her memories are portrayed as reality. The memories were the most important part of her experience.

The memories were definitely important.

MaryBurris wrote:Do you think that Sarah was a visionary, or do you think she just had a real good imagination?

I think she had to have been a visionary, in order to have learned the skills that she needed, such as throwing.

I agree with you that she had to be a visionary. I know for some it is easy to dream up something like that with the imagination, but her story seemed to realistic. Even when she came back from the trip, I did not doubt it that she actually experienced it in a dream-like state. Her attitude and new skills proved it.

Visionary for sure. It was no dream sequence or imagination.

I think she was visionary, but I also think that might be a little over-simplified. We know from Tom's family story (early in the hiking trip), that Tom and Sarah have Native American ancestry; so I wonder if what Sarah experienced was actually the memory of one of her ancestors. I would back this up with the fact that William mentions spiritual connections to ancestors throughout the novel.

OR

I wonder if Sarah is actually a reincarnation of Strong Heart and that's why she has access to her memories, but I am not familiar enough with Native American lore to know whether this is a reasonable idea.

Edit: Also William notices the calluses on Sarah's hands (which we later find out came from rowing the canoe) when she reappears during the storm, which points to the fact that Sarah truly experienced what she saw.

Memories are lasting and formative. The older you get the more you realize this.

Job Njoroge wrote:To have a vision you have to imagine it so I think she was both

himynamestom wrote:Edit: Also William notices the calluses on Sarah's hands (which we later find out came from rowing the canoe) when she reappears during the storm, which points to the fact that Sarah truly experienced what she saw.

I like how you put it Job Njorge and good catch himynamestom. I have read several stories about other lives being lived while the main character was in physical difficulty and they are quite usually fascinating. One that has left a truly lasting impression was by Paul Gallico about a boy who lived a life as a cat while he was ill. It was amazing.

For me i don't think one can work without the other so she was imaginative and conceived a vision from.

I have never really been in the presence of a visionary. Actually, I don't believe in it. However, with the degree of clarity and accuracy she possessed, I would sway in favor of visionary. No man I know or "imagine" could possess such an awesome imagine, for lack of a better word.

Doaa Wael wrote:Great question! I think vision and imagination go hand in hand. But I believe you start out with imagination, once you let it free and never try to stay inside the box, you start to develop as a visionary and extend your horizon with a tinge of love for exploration and curiosity. I think that was her case and that is why she seems like both.

I really like your view on this. I can completely agree

Nick Rones wrote:

Doaa Wael wrote:Great question! I think vision and imagination go hand in hand. But I believe you start out with imagination, once you let it free and never try to stay inside the box, you start to develop as a visionary and extend your horizon with a tinge of love for exploration and curiosity. I think that was her case and that is why she seems like both.

I really like your view on this. I can completely agree

I agree with it as well. They both definitely go hand in hand.