Analysis on Stephen Crane's "In the Desert"

Reading and creating poetry is one of my favorite hobbies. During this semester, a poet named Stephen Crane was the subject of the week. I find that poetry is the window to the writer’s soul, so when reading a lot of his passages; I had the opportunity to really seek out who this man was. Stephen Crane is a very dark and truthful poet. What I like about his work, is the sinister and mysterious tones he uses throughout his text. When reading the poem, "In the Desert" I had to read it a few times, to grasp the concept of what Crane was trying to depict. The setting takes place in the desert, which is a symbol of emptiness and eternity. The creature that “Held his heart into his hands” (Famous Poets), devours the organ as he squats and mutilates what belongs to him. 

Deserts symbolize loneliness and emptiness. [1]

Stephen Crane depicts the heart as self, and when asked “Is it good, friend?”(Famous Poets), the creature agrees and continues to consume what is left. The creature represents man, as the heart represents the consciousness of a man. When reading this poem I thought about grade school and how the golden rule was: “Treat others, like how you would be treated”. By disobeying the rule, you demoralize your character with a bitter soul and bitter heart. The creature is found in the desert because he does not have anything. He is emptied in the pit of his own hell and despair, by becoming isolated with himself. As he eats, he responds to the man,“It is bitter-bitter” (Famous Poets), which results in self destruction and misery. He indulges in his gory goulash he states, “But I like it, because it is bitter, and it is my heart” (Famous Poets). By ingesting the bitter fruit he deteriorates himself even more which determines the lack of emotion he truly has.

Reading poetry is very influential and inspires creativity. [2] 

        The beast is so lost within himself and his bitterness that he has no soul to live; he will forever endure the wretched poison of self destruction. His heart is all he has, and when devouring the most important element that will sustain life, he becomes nonexistent. This poem can reflect someone in real life because the more you feed yourself bitter fruit the less likely you are to gain the sweet serendipity that life has in store for you. As I read this poem over and over, it is as if my perception changes more and more. Thinking outside the box, I finally understand the creation of this poem. His approach to life is demented and twisted, which caught me instantly, because it is not about typical sappy love or sex. Stephen Crane does not sugar coat his messages, he gets raw and deep into his text making it so interesting and refreshing.  Through Stephen Crane’s horrific poem, I took it as a self motivation to want to find myself and fight through the pain and suffering of self destruction. People are always going through negative stages in their life, but it is up to them to save themselves from the bitter heartache.





Sources:

1. "In the Desert - Poem by Stephen Crane." Famous Poets and Poems - Read and Enjoy Poetry. Web. 12 Dec. 2011. <http://www.famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/stephen_crane/poems/13269.>


Image Sources:

1. "50 Breathtaking Examples of Desert Photography on We Heart It / Visual Bookmark #19239112." Inspiring Images and Videos Recently Added to We Heart It / Visual Bookmark. Web. 12 Dec. 2011. <http://weheartit.com/entry/19239112.>

2. "Photography Images, Page Photography, Black And White Photography, Tumblr Photography." Tumblr Backgrounds, Tumblr Themes, Myspace Layouts, Amazing Backgrounds. Web. 12 Dec. 2011. <http://www.cherrybam.com/photography.php.>