Tag: character sketches

Edgar Lee Masters’ “Dr. Siegfried Iseman”

Dr. Siegfried Iseman is the typical Spoon River speaker who blames others for his own destructive path.

Introduction and Text of “Dr. Siegfried Iseman”

The speaker in Edgar Lee Masters’ “Dr. Siegfried Iseman” from Spoon River Anthology is a disgraced physician who goes to imprison for peddling a concoction he called the “Elixir of Youth.” 

Dr. Siegfried Iseman will be recognized as the typical Spoon River epitaph speaker who touts himself as a victim, as he huffs and puffs, blaming others for his own crimes on his path to self-destruction. 

As scoundrels often justify their own perfidy, they not only blame others for their mishaps but they also feel an inner high-moral ground that sounds logical only to their misguided and twisted thinking.

Dr. Siegfried Iseman

I said when they handed me my diploma,
I said to myself I will be good
And wise and brave and helpful to others;  
I said I will carry the Christian creed  
Into the practice of medicine!
Somehow the world and the other doctors  
Know what’s in your heart as soon as you make  
This high-souled resolution.  
And the way of it is they starve you out.
And no one comes to you but the poor.
And you find too late that being a doctor  
Is just a way of making a living.  
And when you are poor and have to carry
The Christian creed and wife and children  
All on your back, it is too much!
That’s why I made the Elixir of Youth,
Which landed me in the jail at Peoria
Branded a swindler and a crook  
By the upright Federal Judge!

Commentary on “Dr. Siegfried Iseman”

Dr. Siegfried Iseman is the typical Spoon River speaker who blames others for his own destructive path.

First Movement:  The No-Witness Convenience

I said when they handed me my diploma,
I said to myself I will be good
And wise and brave and helpful to others;  
I said I will carry the Christian creed  
Into the practice of medicine!

Dr. Iseman begins his confessional by recalling that at the beginning of his entry into the profession of medicine, he promised to be a good Christian doctor.  He intended to be “good / And wise and brave and helpful to others.” Even as Iseman was “handed” his diploma, these promises he mouthed to himself.  

Interestingly, because the doctor had only silently “said” these things, there is conveniently no witness to his testimony. The lack of any evidence that Iseman had intended to acquit himself honorably allows him to backslide at least without others knowing about this original intentions, a fact that, no doubt, in the beginning of his moral failure gave him a sense of comfort.

Second Movement:   Scoundrel Justification

Somehow the world and the other doctors  
Know what’s in your heart as soon as you make  
This high-souled resolution.

Siegfried then philosophically laments that making such a “high-souled resolution” opened him to the fraud, greed, and graft of “the world and the other doctors.”    Completely without substantial support for the claim, Iseman decries the fact that they all “know” what is the heart of the man of good intentions.  But this kind of conclusion is necessary when a scoundrel needs to justify his own improprieties.

Third Movement:  Self-Victimized

And the way of it is they starve you out.
And no one comes to you but the poor.
And you find too late that being a doctor  
Is just a way of making a living.  

Because Siegfried had made a pledge to himself to be good and noble, he became a victim of the other doctors who were not bound by such high-souled intentions.  They were free to “starve [him] out.”  

Because only the poor came to Dr. Iseman, he found that he could not thrive financially as the others did.   Iseman’s lack of financial success ultimately led him to believe that, “being a doctor / Is just a way of making a living.”  And he learned this lesson “too late”—this is, too late to change his good intentions and thus begin acting unconscionably as the others had.

Fourth Movement:  The Burden of Duty

And when you are poor and have to carry
The Christian creed and wife and children  
All on your back, it is too much!

Poor Siegfried, who remained poor, despite his medical practice became burdened by his “Christian creed” as well as by a “wife and children.”   With such heavy responsibilities “on [his] back,” Iseman exclaims, “it is too much!”

Fifth Movement:   It’s the Judge’s Fault

That’s why I made the Elixir of Youth,
Which landed me in the jail at Peoria
Branded a swindler and a crook  
By the upright Federal Judge!

Siegfried finally reveals that he concocted “the Elixir of Youth,” and that concoction “landed [him] in jail in Peoria.”   Iseman’s reputation was ruined, and he was “[b]randed a swindler and a crook.”  

He sarcastically blames “the upright Federal Judge” for his predicament. Dr. Siegfried Iseman’s testimony from the grave resembles so many other Spoon River deceased, who excuse their own behavior by claiming  themselves victims of someone else.

Edgar Lee Masters’ “Dorcas Gustine”

Dorcas Gustine did not let any grievance go unchallenged, and her post-mortem pride is displayed in her report from beyond the grave.  As in the other epitaphs, Dorcas’ report is actually airing a grievance as it disparages the behavior and thinking of others.

Introduction and Text of  “Dorcas Gustine”

Edgar Lee Masters’ “Dorcas Gustine” from the poet’s American classic Spoon River Anthology is an American sonnet which dramatizes the thoughts of a strong-willed character.  Dorcas reports that she defended herself against wrongs, or perhaps perceived wrongs, and thereby was “not beloved of the villagers.”

Because Dorcas Gustine felt great pride in her behavior of not allowing any grievance to go unchallenged, she now displays that post-mortem pride in her revealing report from beyond the grave.

Dorcas Gustine

I was not beloved of the villagers,
But all because I spoke my mind,
And met those who transgressed against me
With plain remonstrance, hiding nor nurturing  
Nor secret griefs nor grudges.
That act of the Spartan boy is greatly praised,  
Who hid the wolf under his cloak,  
Letting it devour him, uncomplainingly.  
It is braver, I think, to snatch the wolf forth
And fight him openly, even in the street,
Amid dust and howls of pain.
The tongue may be an unruly member—  
But silence poisons the soul.
Berate me who will—I am content.

Commentary on“Dorcas Gustine”

Dorcas Gustine did not let any grievance go unchallenged, and her post-mortem pride is displayed in her report from beyond the grave.

First Movement:   Not Well Liked

I was not beloved of the villagers,
But all because I spoke my mind,
And met those who transgressed against me
With plain remonstrance, hiding nor nurturing  
Nor secret griefs nor grudges.

The speaker Dorcas Gustine begins her monologue by asserting that the villagers of Spoon River did not particularly care for her.  She then offers her belief that they did not like her because she “spoke [her] mind.”   

Dorcas did not allow any transgression against her to go unchallenged.  She calls her self-defense “plain remonstrance,” which implies that she is certain that she was simply defending herself with honesty.  

Because of Dorcas’ habit of meeting every slight with a response, she declares that she was, therefore, able to go about without concealing those griefs, which she did not allow to grow in “secret,” nor did she keep her grudges hidden.

What Dorcas does not seem to realize is that her failure to nurse secret griefs and grudges did not translate positively by the other villagers; she likely felt that airing each disaffection should be a healthy act.

Second Movement:   Allusion to Plutarch

That act of the Spartan boy is greatly praised,  
Who hid the wolf under his cloak,  
Letting it devour him, uncomplainingly.  

Dorcas alludes to Plutarch’s tale of the Spartan boy who, to avoid detection, held a baby wolf—which is a fox in Plutarch’s telling—under his garment, and even though the wolf gnawed into the boy’s stomach, he did not grimace.  

Dorcas does not realize the irony of her allusion.  The Spartan boy’s act demonstrated his severe training in conquering pain, while Dorcas demonstrates a self-involved attitude that will not accept pain or any discomfort.

Third Movement:  An Open Fight

It is braver, I think, to snatch the wolf forth
And fight him openly, even in the street,
Amid dust and howls of pain.

Dorcas then explains that she finds the braver act “to snatch the wolf forth / And fight him openly.”  But such an act for the Spartan boy would have demonstrated weakness, as the boy explained,  ” . . . better to die without yielding to the pain than through being detected because of weakness of spirit to gain a life to be lived in disgrace.”

Dorcas’ idea of bravery differs greatly from that of the Spartan boy.  Dorcas found that she had to remove the source of her consternation immediately.  She had no patience and probably felt herself superior to those who would “remonstrate” against her.

Fourth Movement:  Not Content

The tongue may be an unruly member—  
But silence poisons the soul.
Berate me who will—I am content.

Dorcas concludes by admitting that “the tongue may be an unruly member,” but despite that unruliness, she believes holding one’s tongue is poisonous, that is, “silence poisons the soul.”  Dorcas then calls for those who disagree with her to “berate [her]” if they choose, and concludes by stating that she is “content.”

The reader never discovers how Dorcas Gustine died.  That she is providing a post-mortem report, however, belies her claim that she is content.    As the reader has discovered from all the other deceased reporters, none can be thought to be content.  All of them display some grievance or strongly held tie to their former lives that they wish to share.

Edgar Lee Masters’ “The Town Marshal” and “Jack McGuire”

In Edgar Lee Masters’ “The Town Marshal,” a man named Logan is hired by prohibitionists. Logan meets his demise because of his bullying personality.  In “Jack McGuire,” the protagonist escapes a lynch mob, and more is learned about the marshal he shot.

Introduction and Text of “The Town Marshal”

The epitaph “The Town Marshal” is followed in the sequence by “Jack McGuire” in Edgar Lee Masters’ American classic Spoon River Anthology.  The two need to be read together in order to get the total essence of the marshal’s personality, as well as his name.

Logan, the town marshal, speaks in “The Town Marshal.” Although he remains nameless in his own poem, he is called “Logan” in the companion piece, “Jack McGuire.”   Marshal Logan, who was hired by prohibitionists,  is killed because he was a bully, but in the final analysis, he can be credited with admitting his fatal flaw.

The Town Marshal

The prohibitionists made me Town Marshal
When the saloons were voted out,
Because when I was a drinking man,  
Before I joined the church, I killed a Swede  
At the saw-mill near Maple Grove.
And they wanted a terrible man,
Grim, righteous, strong, courageous,
And a hater of saloons and drinkers,
To keep law and order in the village.
And they presented me with a loaded cane
With which I struck Jack McGuire  
Before he drew the gun with which he killed me.
The Prohibitionists spent their money in vain
To hang him, for in a dream
I appeared to one of the twelve jurymen
And told him the whole secret story.
Fourteen years were enough for killing me.

Commentary on “The Town Marshal”

The town marshal, hired by prohibitionists, is a man named Logan, who meets his demise because of his bullying personality.

First Movement:  Marshal by Prohibition

The prohibitionists made me Town Marshal
When the saloons were voted out,
Because when I was a drinking man,  
Before I joined the church, I killed a Swede  
At the saw-mill near Maple Grove.

Logan begins by reporting that he became town marshal because of prohibition.  He had been “a drinking man” and had once “killed a Swede,” before he “joined the church.”  Logan’s reputation seemed to lend itself to the kind of individual the prohibitionists wanted to enlist to enforce the new statute. 

Logan’s grating, obnoxious personality is that of a braggadocio, who is not shy about tooting his own horn.  His assessment of the conclusion of the trial of the man who shot him demonstrates this trait.

Second Movement:  A Strong Anti-Boozer

And they wanted a terrible man,
Grim, righteous, strong, courageous,
And a hater of saloons and drinkers,
To keep law and order in the village.

Logan explains that prohibitionists wanted a strong, anti-booze man who was “a terrible 

man, / Grim, righteous, strong, courageous, / And a hater of saloons and drinkers.” Logan, no doubt, sees himself as his “terrible man,” who could “keep law and order in the village.” Again, the town marshal shows the high estimation he has of himself.  His strong sense of self-accomplishment motivates his actions.

Third Movement:   Armed with a Loaded Cane

And they presented me with a loaded cane
With which I struck Jack McGuire  
Before he drew the gun with which he killed me.

Logan reveals that the prohibitionists armed him with “a loaded cane,” that is, a walking-stick that contains lead in one end, which renders it a legal weapon.   Quickly, the marshal cuts to the heart of the matter, stating that he struck Jack McGuire with this loaded cane just before McGuire pulled a gun and shot Logan dead.

The details of the encounter with McGuire are recounted in McGuire’s testimony, the poem that follows “The Town Marshal” in the Spoon River Anthology.   After the reader is apprised of those details, Logan’s personality becomes clearer.

Fourth Movement:  Fourteen Years instead of Hanging

The Prohibitionists spent their money in vain
To hang him, for in a dream
I appeared to one of the twelve jurymen
And told him the whole secret story.
Fourteen years were enough for killing me.

Logan boastfully takes credit for McGuire’s receiving a sentence of only fourteen years, despite the fact that the prohibitionists “spent their money in vain” trying to get McGuire to swing at the end of a rope.  

Marshal Logan claims that he visited one of the jurymen in a dream and told him the whole sordid tale about how he was shot. The story vindicates McGuire, at least, enough so that hanging was not the recommended punishment.  

Thus McGuire was sentenced to only fourteen years, and Logan feels that that punishment is appropriate.   At least, Logan does finally recognize himself as a bully and wants to see justice prevail.

Introduction and Text of “Jack McGuire”

Edgar Lee Masters’ “Jack McGuire” from his American classic Spoon River Anthology is a companion piece to “The Town Marshal.”   In this epitaph “Jack McGuire,” the reader learns more about Logan, the town marshal, in addition to Logan’s “The Town Marshal” soliloquy.

Jack McGuire

They would have lynched me
Had I not been secretly hurried away
To the jail at Peoria.
And yet I was going peacefully home,
Carrying my jug, a little drunk,
When Logan, the marshal, halted me,
Called me a drunken hound and shook me,
And, when I cursed him for it, struck me
With that Prohibition loaded cane—
All this before I shot him.
They would have hanged me except for this:
My lawyer, Kinsey Keene, was helping to land
Old Thomas Rhodes for wrecking the bank,
And the judge was a friend of Rhodes
And wanted him to escape,
And Kinsey offered to quit on Rhodes
For fourteen years for me.
And the bargain was made. I served my time
And learned to read and write.

Commentary on “Jack McGuire”

Jack McGuire escapes a lynch mob, and more is learned about the marshal he shot.

First Movement:  Potential Lynch Mob

They would have lynched me
Had I not been secretly hurried away
To the jail at Peoria.

Jack begins by reporting the startling news that he would have been hanged by a lynch mob, if he had not been “secretly hurried away / To the jail in Peoria.”   Jack then implies that his deed in Spoon River had worked up a number of folks who were ready to administer vigilante justice. this is, without a proper trial.

Second Movement: Minding His Own Business

And yet I was going peacefully home,
Carrying my jug, a little drunk,
When Logan, the marshal, halted me,
Called me a drunken hound and shook me,

Jack explains that he was minding his own business, “going peacefully home,” when he was accosted by “Logan, the marshal.”  Jack admits that he was “a little drunk” and that he was “carrying [his] jug” on his way home.

But Logan, who was employed by the prohibitionists to enforce the ban on booze in Spoon River, stopped Jack and bullied him, calling him “a drunken hound.”  In his bullying fashion, Logan also invaded Jack’s personal space and “shook him.”

Third Movement:  Violent Confrontation 

And, when I cursed him for it, struck me
With that Prohibition loaded cane—
All this before I shot him.

Jack reacted to Logan’s harassment by swearing at the marshal.  Logan then struck Jack with his “Prohibition loaded cane.”  Jack responded by drawing out his gun and shooting the marshal dead.

Fourth Movement:  Avoiding Hanging

They would have hanged me except for this:
My lawyer, Kinsey Keene, was helping to land
Old Thomas Rhodes for wrecking the bank,
And the judge was a friend of Rhodes
And wanted him to escape,
And Kinsey offered to quit on Rhodes
For fourteen years for me.

Jack explains how he avoided the gallows, and his explanation differs from Logan’s.  Jack’s lawyer, Kinsey Keene, was also the counsel against “Old Thomas Rhodes” who was charged with “wrecking the bank.”  The judge in Jack’s case was a friend of Rhodes’ and wanted Rhodes to be acquitted.  So Jack’s lawyer Keene “offered to quit on Rhodes / For fourteen years for me.”

The reader will recall that Logan interpreted the fourteen-year sentence very differently; Logan claimed that he appeared to a juryman in a dream and revealed his complicity in his own death, and that resulted in the short sentence for Jack.  

Fifth Movement:  So He Learns to Read and Write

And the bargain was made. I served my time
And learned to read and write.

Jack says he served his term and “learned to read and write.”  Jack, of course, knows nothing about Logan’s claim to have appeared in a dream to the juryman.   And Logan could not have known about the deal struck between the judge and Keene. 

This disconnect opens up a fascinating arena for the evaluation of the worth of each man’s story.  While the reader accepts Jack’s version as probably the correct one, the reader cannot with certainty discount Logan’s version.

A bitter irony prevails, however, that Jack, who actually took the life a fellow human being—as opposed to merely being a bully, as Logan was—appears to be the one who came out the winner; not only was his sentence light, but he also learned to read and write to boot.