A Michigan Man

“A Michigan Man” portrays the life of Luther Dallas, a seasoned axe-man whose existence is deeply intertwined with the solemn, isolated pine forests of Northern Michigan. Despite the camaraderie shared among the lumbermen, the unending shadow and silence of the forest have drugged his soul into a kind of oblivion, detaching him from the rapidly progressing world beyond the woods. Dallas nurtures a superstitious belief that his end will be met under the very trees he fells, a presentiment stemming from his father’s death caused by a falling tree.

One day, upon the insistence of his boss, Dallas reluctantly sets to bring down a towering pine, which he spares initially. That night, disturbed by ominous dreams about the tree, his sleep is tormented. The following day, Dallas faces the tree with a sense of fatalism. Despite the tree’s menacing posture and a foreboding atmosphere, Dallas overcomes his reluctance and chops the tree down. Unfortunately, his fears materialize as he misjudges the falling tree’s trajectory, resulting in him being severely injured.

Months later, weakened and aimless, Dallas sets off to find his sister in Chicago, hoping for refuge. The vibrant, bustling city overwhelms him, a stark contrast to his forest life. His search for his sister leads him nowhere, and his health deteriorates in the unfamiliar urban setting. Despite a desperate struggle to adapt, the alien environment exacerbates his loneliness and disorientation. His condition worsens, and he is reduced to begging, far removed from the robust, self-sufficient woodsman he once was.

One morning, engulfed in despair and disconnection, Dallas awakens to a delusion of being back in the familiar comfort of the pine forests. In his disoriented state, he mistakes a city post for a tree and attempts to chop it down with his stick, which leads to his apprehension by the police. Mistaken for being drunk, he is taken away, leaving behind the whispers and laughs of onlookers. The story closes with Dallas being questioned by an officer, to which he can only respond with a call reminiscent of the forest, signaling his complete detachment from reality and a poignant longing for the solitudes he once inhabited.