39 pages • 1 hour read
The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World
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BetaChapters 5-6Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 5 Summary
Kimmerer posits the possible expansion of smaller, organic gift economies. She begins with gift economies that operate “everywhere” between individuals, often friends and families (53). These smaller gift economies can also include communities that exchange gifts and share resources for the benefit of all. Kimmerer uses Little Free Libraries as an example—small boxes placed in public spaces, in which people can take or leave books. No price is paid for these books; they are shared for the benefit of the community. These Little Free Libraries, Kimmerer suggests, are examples of individual gift economies in action. Larger public libraries (as well as other public services) are examples of community-wide gift economies that can “coexist with market economies” (55).
Such gift economies are not without perils, Kimmerer notes, drawing on an example from her own life. Her daughter once operated a produce stand for a farm that allowed people to operate a small gift economy: People could take vegetables freely, as well as leave vegetables for others. One season, however, the entire stand was taken. Nothing was left, thus the communal resource was ruined for everyone. Kimmerer cites Garrett Hardin, whose essay Tragedy of the Commons describes the way in which some people take advantage of community resources. They take too much for themselves without giving in return, causing problems for everyone else by breaking the cycle of the gift economy through “competing self-interests” (59).
For Kimmerer, the way to prevent such problems is to change the way society thinks about commodities. Instead of thinking of things as “mere objects” that can be commodified (62), she says, people should begin viewing them as gifts. They should consider the way in which these gifts create a network of co-dependence. By changing the way people think about commodities, Kimmerer hopes that gift economies can become more viable as everyone learns to understand the benefits of participation and the consequences of breaking the cycle. She shares the guidelines of the Honorable Harvest as a framework for better understanding how society might develop such a mindset.
Chapter 6 Summary
Kimmerer explores the concept of biomimicry—the name given to the human attempt to copy a natural system, positioning the serviceberry as a model for creating a sustainable and mutually beneficial human economy. The serviceberry economy, Kimmerer explains, is an economy in which the distribution of resources (such as goods or services) is made possible through abundance. The serviceberry trees, she notes, take in carbon dioxide, light, and water to support themselves and then give back to the natural world through the berries that are eaten by animals and birds. These creatures then spread the seeds throughout the environment via their waste, which means that the seeds can be planted in new places. New serviceberry trees begin to grow, so the entire cycle begins anew. Kimmerer points to this example to show how an ecological economy is built upon mutual benefit. It is not competition that allows the serviceberry to grow and thrive but shared interest with the creatures and environment. While traditional economists venerate competition as the fuel for a thriving capitalist economy, the serviceberry demonstrates how mutualism can be an alternative driving force.
Kimmerer criticizes the “cutthroat capitalism” that feels entitled to convert a gift into private property (70). Returning to the story of the man who stole her daughter’s food stall, she gives the thief an invented name: Darren, named after the CEO of ExxonMobil. As much as Kimmerer and her colleagues criticize “the System” of capitalism (71), she notes, it should be remembered that the system is made up of individuals like Darren. There are many more people who would be willing to participate in a gift economy, she believes, than there are people like Darren.
In modern capitalist societies, scarcity is manufactured by commodification and theft. The farm stand run by Kimmerer’s daughter was stolen, an example of commodification limiting the benefits of a gift economy. In contrast, Kimmerer believes that there is enough resource for all “if we share it” (75). She argues that humans need to catch up with the natural world in this respect. The serviceberry tree is connected above and below ground. Even fungi, which were once thought to be “stealing” nutrients from the tree, are now understood as part of a complex network of exchange. Scarcity does exist in this world, Kimmerer says, such as droughts. However, she refuses to accept the idea of “manufactured scarcity” on which capitalist economies depend (79). This threat of manufactured scarcity, Kimmerer fears, creates the danger of “producing real scarcity” (81), an issue for which the capitalist economy has no remedy.
Kimmerer compares the notion of artificial scarcity to the “monster” from Potawatomi culture, the Windigo, a creature that suffers from an illness of taking too much and not sharing. This Windigo economy, she says, is a cannibal with an unsatiable hunger that places the entire community in danger. She suggests that this Windigo might be named Darren.
Chapters 5-6 Analysis
As Kimmerer’s discussion of gift economies progresses, she looks beyond theory and provides concrete examples to demonstrate ways that her ideas can be put into practice. This progression provides a clear structure for the book’s political practice: Kimmerer’s idea is introduced, explained, and contextualized, and then she creates a path for its practical implementation, citing anecdotal experiences from her daughter and neighbors. This progression positions Kimmerer as more than a theorist; she is an activist—a distinction that demands that her work move beyond the theoretical. This activism sets The Serviceberry apart from more traditional academic texts. Kimmerer intends for her work to politicize its readers, overtly urging them to develop their own gift economies. The examples that she cites create a bedrock of experience and encouragement on which Kimmerer believes readers will build toward systemic change.
Kimmerer shores up her own credibility through transparency—discussing both the benefits and drawbacks of her ideas and listing failures as readily as successes. Kimmerer uses the name “Darren”—an allusion to the CEO of ExxonMobil—to represent archetypical self-interested advocates of capitalism. For example, one such “Darren” stole all the produce from her daughter’s produce stand rather than participating in the small gift economy in good faith. Kimmerer emphasizes this example as the exception to the rule rather than evidence that gift economies don’t work. Tonally, she defuses the sabotage of her daughter’s endeavor with humor. She jokes about the sign posted to the stand and then describes how a neighbor helped her daughter rebuild the produce stand. This anecdote, initially framed as a setback, demonstrates the ways in which gift economies bring out the best in people, underscoring Kimmerer’s belief in Optimism as a Tool for Building a Better World.
Kimmerer evokes the legend of the Windigo as a metaphoric contrast to the serviceberry, emphasizing her thematic exploration of The Tension Between Cutthroat Capitalism and Communal Reciprocity. The book opens with the description of the harvest of the serviceberry, which Kimmerer positions as a symbolic model for a gift economy. In deploying the Windigo, she presents a symbol of the dangers of extractive capitalism. The Windigo (also known as the Wendigo) is a creature from Indigenous folklore, often depicted as a malevolent spirit or monstrous being associated with cannibalism, insatiable greed, and the harsh winter wilderness. It is said to possess humans, driving them to commit acts of violence and consume human flesh. To Kimmerer, the Windigo provides a clear analogue to the dangers of extractive capitalism, embodying the same potential for selfishness that undermines the mutual generosity of the gift economy. In the context of The Serviceberry, the Windigo is the obvious symbolic counterpoint to the titular plant, which embodies Kimmerer’s emphasis on The Natural World as Inspiration for Economic Reform.
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