Pastoral, Sublime, and YIN YANG Natures!

Sublime and Pastoral Natures are defined by humans; therefore, they have to exist because we exist. As the distance of one point is relative to the position of another point, the Sublime and Pastoral are relative to our existence: the emotions these two types of Nature elicit from us are the very things that define them. But in my opinion, I think there should be another type of Nature in which humans can live harmoniously in. Lets call this the "Yin Yang Nature" for obvious purposes. One way or another, we're constantly living in either the Sublime Nature, Pastoral Nature, or Yin Yang Nature. We get to choose where we stay, but we cannot escape the three doors that lead different paths. If we decide to live the life of a normal Menlo student (or any person living in the technologically developed world), we would be living in the Pastoral Nature because civilized human life is determined by the conquering of Nature's crudeness. Lets say you decide to escape the banality and superficiality of the technical world. You let Nature nurture and feed you as you relish and admire its beauty. This would be an example of the Yin Yang Nature: humans coexisting with Nature. Finally, you come across one of those ineffably magnificent things: the things that completely deluge your mind with awe. Be it a desert with no visible end or an enormous waterfall that can eat up anything that dares to trespass, these are all examples of Sublime Nature, the inexorable force that has complete control over humans.

Sublime Nature in Tom Sawyer

So far in the book, I think there is only one instance of Sublime Nature that occurred when Tom, Huck, and Joe, were trapped in the fearful storm on Jackson Island. Prior to this event, the boys were swimming in the water, making breakfast, relaxing, and smoking pipes. Suddenly, the sky turned dark and the air became chilly: a very cliché foreboding of some imminent "evil". You can tell when the scene switches from the pastoral "harmonious with nature" to the Sublime quite easily from the conspicuous changes in setting mood. At the peak of the storm, all the boys could do was run and hide from the wrath of Sublime Nature. In the end, all three boys survived the battle. Why did Sublime Nature capriciously appear at this specific time? There are two ways you can think about this: First, Nature was trying to force the boys back to their designated positions in civilized society by attempting to scare them off with the fearful storm. Second, Nature was putting the boys through a test to see if they were fit for becoming one with Nature.