Final Project Post: Whitman’s Evils

My final project was an introduction to a series of poems in which Whitman finds fault in his own collectivist philosophy. There is a fair bit written about this darker side of Whitman but there seemed to be no anthology so dedicated. These are tremendous moments in Walt’s poetry because they uphold his promise that he contains multitudes. He is not just the loving bard who celebrates the unity of all things, he is also a man with prejudices and sadness and anger. Overwhelmingly, his poetry stays true to his vision, taking steps to reconcile potential hurdles. If he brings up a sinister figure or concept, it is often for the purpose of claiming them as his own. Prostitutes contain pieces of his soul, he is not ashamed of his failings. However, there are times where he fails to claim ownership of these devils. Sometimes an assassin is vile and sometimes a person is lesser because they are ugly. If you need one, there are excuses for some of these lapses. Yes, his father and brother drank too much so it is easy to find his disdain for drunkenness. He saw the realities of a monumental war, saw scores of dead and dying men as a nurse. Walt Whitman dealt with an assassinated president. I do not think Whitman needs to be excused for these notions, though. These are more than curiosities, they reveal another truth of Whitman’s identity. If Whitman seems unable to understand slavery or foreigners, it is because there are parts of him that struggle with these issues. We should pay attention to these poems because they show Whitman with his guard down. He is always aware of his image, trying to reign in some of these moments in later editions. Many of the critics whose work I consulted are very aware of these lapses but try to explain away any sincerity in them. People are quick to point to “Respondez!” and all of its irony as a show of Whitman’s tendency to push all negativity towards a larger good. I feel that these people are suffocating a better understanding of Whitman. Whitman is allowed to be wrong, he allowed to fear some “other.” Again, his poems almost all agree with each other’s message. Sometimes he employs negativity to affirm his vision. However, there are times where we can see him misunderstanding. Other times, we can be confidant in his exhalations of sorrow or contempt. I think it is worthy to aspire to be able to see the dark in Whitman, as he did in the world, and not blink or withdraw. To accept these lapses is to see the scope of Whitman, to know him as intimately as he wished.

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