These, at different times, lost their lives in those bright waters in which, on such occasions as these, they used to sport and frolic to refresh t...

These, at different times, lost their lives in those bright waters in which, on such occasions as these, they used to sport and frolic to refresh themselves during the noonday heat. Alas! how many, who were then young and in their prime, that river and its lakes have swept away!

Our men worked well until dinner−time, when, after washing in the lake, they all sat down to the rude board which I had prepared for them, loaded with the best fare that could be procured in the bush. Pea-soup, legs of pork, venison, eel, and raspberry pies, garnished with plenty of potatoes, and whiskey to wash them down, besides a large iron kettle of tea. [¿] (MOODIE, 2000, p. 348).

Source: MOODIE, Susanna. Roughing It in the Bush: or, forest life in Canada. Toronto: Prospero, 2000

In the excerpt above from her memoir published in 1852, Susanna Moodie, an English-born Canadian author, describes how the lakes and rivers can be both comforting (food, relaxing by the lake) and menacing (sweeping away lives). In this sense, considering nature and Canadian literature, we can affirm that:

nature can mirror psychological as well as physical states

nature is an issue which Canadians have to face with material concerns

nature can be seen only as a monster that hurts people

nature is a reflection of external influences, never internal

nature can be both positive and negative, yet it only serves as a backdrop.