"The sun was like a great visiting presence that stimulated and took its due from all animal energy. When it flung wide its cloak and stepped down over the edge of the fields at evening, it left behind it a spent and exhausted world"

Willa Cather's expressive description of the sun in this passage functions as a metaphor for the effective and vibrant relationship between nature and life. The sun is personified as a "terrific going to presence", indicating a short-term however impactful entity whose extremely existence stimulates the natural world. This suggests that the sun is not just a mere heavenly body but a prominent force that actively participates in the cycle of life, promoting energy and growth amongst all living animals. The choice of the word "going to" also infers a sense of periodicity and a suggestion that the sun's presence, while vital, is not consistent, and its absence brings about a considerable change.

As the sun "flung broad its cape", we can envision the dramatic improvement of the daylight sky-- as if the sun is theatrically eliminating its garment, exposing the onset of night. This shift marks a conclusive shift from day to night, symbolizing the sun's retreat after a stressful performance. The images suggests a type of benevolent rule over the landscape; the sun commands the day, and its departure symbolizes not just completion of daylight but a subsiding of vitality.

Furthermore, Cather's usage of language in describing the consequences of the sunset communicates a world left "invested and tired". Here, nature breathes a cumulative sigh of fatigue, having been both perked up and completely depleted by the sun's requiring presence. The end of day and the sun's descent brings a giving up of energy, recommending that life itself depends upon the sun's cyclical rise and fall, which determine the rhythm of energy and rest in the natural world.

Overall, Cather poetically represents the interconnectedness between the sun and life. The sun not just cultivates life however also manages the day-to-day cadence of effort and repose, leaving the world to restore its strength in anticipation of the sun's next check out. Through vivid personification, Cather highlights a profound regard and gratitude for the sun's role in the natural order.