“Ace” Shaw features a typical Spoon River braggart whose report justifies his unseemly choice of profession.
Introduction and Text of “‘Ace’ Shaw”
Edgar Lee Masters’ “‘Ace’ Shaw” from Spoon River Anthology attempts to achieve justification of his unseemly choice of vocation by asserting that all jobs are simply the result of “chance.”
The epitaph featuring the character of “Ace” Shaw therefore, reveals and features a typical Spoon River braggart whose report unveils a dodgy personality, whose report attempts to justify his unseemly choice of profession.
“Ace” Shaw
I never saw any difference Between playing cards for money And selling real estate, Practicing law, banking, or anything else. For everything is chance. Nevertheless Seest thou a man diligent in business? He shall stand before Kings!
Commentary on “‘Ace’ Shaw”
Nicknamed for his chosen profession, “Ace” Shaw is attempting to rehabilitate his reputation as a gambler by claiming that all professions operate on the element of “chance.”
First Movement: A Gambler
I never saw any difference Between playing cards for money And selling real estate, Practicing law, banking, or anything else.
“Ace” Shaw, whose nickname identifies him as a gambling man, claims that to him lawyers, bankers, real estate agents, and all others working in any profession or job for money are all gamblers, that is, all those professions are no different from “playing cards for money.”
Point of view is always the most important issue in determining the conclusions each individual will form. “Ace” being a gambling man, and one who is apparently dedicated to his craft, then views his choice as noble and as dicey as the next guy’s. In order to accomplish this rationalization, he has to filter out the actual impact that each profession has on society.
To this type of personality, narcissistic, egotistic, self-centered to the extreme, others do not matter so long as they render unto him what he thinks he deserves. That gambling for money offers no service to society does not enter into Ace’s estimation in determining worth—only the ability to acquire money is his measure. And by that simplistic measure, the gambler does have a point.
However, Ace does not seem to understand that bankers, lawyers, real estate agents, and members of other professions such a medicine, education, media, or even public service actually provide a service to society for which they are remunerated according to the level of service.
That each professional might fail at his work is enough for Ace, and his ilk, to denigrate all of the potential service providers to little more than gamblers, like himself. This line of thinking punishes the good for not being perfect.
Second Movement: Life of Choices
For everything is chance.
Ace claims that everything one does in life remains a gamble. But some things are more fraught with the possibilities for negative occurrences than others. If “everything is chance,” and nothing is sure, then why not set one’s goal higher than mere card playing?
Why not do something that offers a real service? The only answer is that Ace prefers the life of a cardsharp; at the same time, intuitively, he knows his choice is less honorable than the bankers and lawyers he tries to belittle in order to make himself seem more important.
Third Movement: Lazy Man’s Philosophy
Nevertheless Seest thou a man diligent in business? He shall stand before Kings!
Ace is lazy. So instead of explaining his circumstances in order to prop up his choice, he simply quotes Proverbs 22:29: “Seest thou a man diligent in business? / He shall stand before Kings!” By introducing the quotation with “nevertheless,” Ace appears to be contradicting his earlier claims, but his personality would not allow such humility.
The gambler is once again simply justifying his choice by claiming that his proficiency will stand him in good stead. The gambling Ace will “stand before Kings”—and not before the “mean” men who appear in the line, “he shall not stand before mean men,” which follows the two lines from Proverbs that Ace quotes.
Named for America’s first feminist writer Margaret Fuller, Mrs. Slack laments marriage and motherhood that crushed her dreams of greatness in becoming a famous writer or the next George Eliot.
Introduction and Text of “Margaret Fuller Slack”
Edgar Lee Masters’ “Margaret Fuller Slack” from his American classic Spoon River Anthology depicts a tormented woman, who believes motherhood doomed her ambition to become a great writer.
Ironically named after the first American feminist, “Margaret Fuller,” Mrs. Slack does possess the egotistical personality of her namesake, while suffering the ills that they both decry.
Margaret Fuller Slack
I would have been as great as George Eliot But for an untoward fate. For look at the photograph of me made by Penniwit, Chin resting on hand, and deep-set eyes— Gray, too, and far-searching. But there was the old, old problem: Should it be celibacy, matrimony or unchastity? Then John Slack, the rich druggist, wooed me, Luring me with the promise of leisure for my novel, And I married him, giving birth to eight children, And had no time to write. It was all over with me, anyway, When I ran the needle in my hand While washing the baby’s things, And died from lock-jaw, an ironical death. Hear me, ambitious souls, Sex is the curse of life!
Commentary on “Margaret Fuller Slack”
Named for America’s first feminist writer, Margaret Fuller, Mrs. Slack laments marriage and motherhood that crushed her dreams of greatness in becoming the next George Eliot.
First Movement: She Would Have
I would have been as great as George Eliot But for an untoward fate.
Mrs. Slack begins her tirade by proclaiming the greatness she “would have” accomplished: she “would have been as great as George Eliot.” Nevertheless, this speaker did not ascend to such a great height, because “untoward fate” stepped on her dreams.
Second Movement: A Photo of Profundity
For look at the photograph of me made by Penniwit, Chin resting on hand, and deep-set eyes— Gray, too, and far-searching.
Mrs. Slack possesses a “photograph of [herself] made by Penniwit,” an artist who later also speaks in the Spoon River Anthology. Margaret uses the photograph to support her contention that she was marked for greatness.
In the photo, she sits with her “chin resting on hand,” and she has “deep-set eyes” that are “gray” and “far-searching.” These qualities in her estimation reveal a profundity that should have allowed her to accomplish greatness, the absence of which she now laments.
Third Movement: The Age Old Problem
But there was the old, old problem: Should it be celibacy, matrimony or unchastity?
Margaret then philosophizes about the human condition, claiming the “old, old problem” is whether one should remain celibate, marry, or simply commit fornication. Mrs. Slack does not reveal how deeply she thought about those alternatives, or even if she had thought about them at all. As the speaker reminisces, she, no doubt, adds to her own self worth, by implying that she had thought and pondered those issues.
Fourth Movement: The Promise of Leisure
Then John Slack, the rich druggist, wooed me, Luring me with the promise of leisure for my novel, And I married him, giving birth to eight children, And had no time to write.
Before Mrs. Slack had the opportunity to determine which path was the right one for her to travel to fame, she found herself “wooed” by “John Slack, the rich druggist.” The druggist “lur[ed]” her by “promis[ing] [her] leisure”—time she would use to write “[her] novel.”
With this promise of leisure, Margaret married the druggist, but instead of writing, she proceeded to give birth to “eight children.” Of course, with eight children, she can fall back on the excuse that she “had no time to write.” Apparently, Mrs. Slack remained blissfully unaware that famous poet, Anne Bradstreet, created a significant body of writing while birthing and raising eight children.
Fifth Movement: Dying of Lock-Jaw, Filled with Words
It was all over with me, anyway, When I ran the needle in my hand While washing the baby’s things, And died from lock-jaw, an ironical death.
Margaret then reveals how she died, “It was all over with me, anyway, / When I ran the needle in my hand.” She met with this sad fate, while “washing the baby’s things.” She contracted “lock-jaw” and died.
Mrs. Slack finds dying of lock-jaw to be “ironical,” no doubt, because she considered herself filled with words—words unfortunately that would remain unexpressed because of the time-consuming servitude of raising a family. And, of course, in keeping with her own selfishness, she does not consider how her absence will impact the lives of the children she leaves behind.
Sixth Movement: The Urge vs the Philosophy
Hear me, ambitious souls, Sex is the curse of life!
Margaret’s final statement oversimplifies her lot but reveals her philosophical conclusion about “life” as she remarks, “Sex is the curse of life!” Readers, unfortunately, will never be able to experience the profundity of that statement because Margaret’s ambition to write was obliterated by her urge to procreate.
After committing suicide, “Harold Arnett” confirms the futility of the act.
Introduction and Text of “Harold Arnett”
Edgar Lee Masters’ “Harold Arnett” from the poet’s American classic Spoon River Anthology portrays a character who learns that the duty of facing trials and tribulations does not end with merely leaving the physical world.
Harold Arnett
I leaned against the mantel, sick, sick, Thinking of my failure, looking into the abysm, Weak from the noon-day heat. A church bell sounded mournfully far away, I heard the cry of a baby, And the coughing of John Yarnell, Bed-ridden, feverish, feverish, dying, Then the violent voice of my wife: “Watch out, the potatoes are burning!” I smelled them … then there was irresistible disgust. I pulled the trigger … blackness … light… Unspeakable regret … fumbling for the world again. Too late! Thus I came here, With lungs for breathing … one cannot breathe here with lungs, Though one must breathe…. Of what use is it To rid one’s self of the world, When no soul may ever escape the eternal destiny of life?
Commentary on “Harold Arnett”
After committing suicide, Harold Arnett confirms the futility of the act.
First Movement: Mind on Failure
I leaned against the mantel, sick, sick, Thinking of my failure, looking into the abysm, Weak from the noon-day heat.
The speaker begins his dismal report by describing how he is feeling very sick as he “lean[s] against the mantel.” His mind was on something at which he has failed, but about which he never reveals any information. He continues, saying he was peering into some deep chasm, and the hot mid-day heat was making him feel weak.
Second Movement: Church Bell and Crying Baby
A church bell sounded mournfully far away, I heard the cry of a baby, And the coughing of John Yarnell, Bed-ridden, feverish, feverish, dying, Then the violent voice of my wife:
Arnett then reports that he hears the distant chiming of “a church bell,” and he also hears a baby crying. At first, the reader will take these to be actual sounds that Arnett is hearing as he indulges his melancholy at the fireplace.
But then Arnett adds that he hears John Yarnell coughing. Unless John Yarnell is a sick guest in Arnett’s home, it is likely that Arnett is hearing all of these sounds only in his memory’s ear and not literally. Arnett never clears up any of these vague strands of thought because they are not the focus of his soliloquy.
Third Movement: A Violent Voice
Then the violent voice of my wife: “Watch out, the potatoes are burning!” I smelled them … then there was irresistible disgust.
Arnett snaps the reader into the scene as he claims he hears “the violent voice of [his]wife.” That “violent voice,” the reader later realizes will be the last thing Arnett hears, and perhaps its implication for the personality of the wife adds to the motivation of Arnett’s own violent act.
That violent voice screeched out to Arnett, trying to alert him that the potatoes were on fire. Arnett then becomes aware of the burning stench and is filled with an “irresistible disgust.”
Fourth Movement: There Is no Unringing the Bell
I pulled the trigger … blackness … light… Unspeakable regret … fumbling for the world again.
With the sound of a “violent voice” and the disgusting smell of burning potatoes in his consciousness, Arnett “pulled the trigger,” killing himself. Immediately, he sees “blackness . . . light” and feels “unspeakable regret.”
Arnett then finds that he is “fumbling for the world again.” After Arnett had pulled the trigger, his next reflex was to attempt to unpull it. He immediately feels regretful of his impulsive act and tries, in vain, to get back to his life.
Fifth Movement: Moving Toward Destiny
Too late! Thus I came here, With lungs for breathing … one cannot breathe here with lungs, Though one must breathe….
However, Arnett’s “fumbling,” of course, fails. He reports, “Too late!” Therefore he says he “came here.” Instead of being taken to his grave, Arnett claims he “came” to it, sounding as if he simply leisurely gave up and walked into death instead of having been forced into it.
Arnett then focuses on the very physical, human act of “breathing.” As he entered death, he entered with “lungs for breathing,” but the very dreadful truth is that in the grave, or simply in the state beyond life, “one cannot breathe with lungs.”
Arnett’s emphasis on lungs and breathing demonstrates the strong connection between breathing and remaining in the physical body. Although Arnett’s physical body still possessed lungs, they became useless to him in the after-life state, and he is frustrated by that conundrum; he says, “one must breathe.”
Sixth Movement: The Futility of Suicide
… Of what use is it To rid one’s self of the world, When no soul may ever escape the eternal destiny of life?
Arnett’s conclusion demonstrates the futility of suicide. Framed as a question, Arnett’s final reaction emphasizes that souls cannot escape from their well-earned karma by simply ridding themselves of their physical bodies. Arnett asks, “what use is it,” to leave the world behind, when the soul still continues to be affected by its own “destiny of life,” another name for which is karma.
In Edgar Lee Masters’ “Nicholas Bindle,” the speaker vents his outrage at the town’s citizenry for continuing to harass him for charitable offerings while his financial situation was not strong.
Introduction and Text of “Nicholas Bindle”
In Edgar Lee Masters’ “Nicholas Bindle” from Masters’ American classic Spoon River Anthology, the speaker is expressing his outrage at the town’s citizenry for continuing to harass him for charitable offerings while his financial situation was not strong.
Nicholas also demonstrates his disgust that Deacon Rhodes was acquitted of bank fraud. This poem’s speaker begins with a question for his fellow citizens who, he feels, should be ashamed for their role in urging him to donate.
Nicholas’ opening question reveals his own beliefs about the situation and therefore is rhetorical in nature. Of course, he wants them to feel shame as he is berating them. The speaker concludes his tirade also with a question that again reveals his own disgust at how unfairly he thinks he was treated.
Nicholas Bindle condenses his tirade into a mere eleven lines that bellow his deep displeasure from the grave. Nicholas Bindle is one of the extremely unhappy deceased who use their epitaph to castigate their fellow citizens with sharp, critical words.
Bindle expresses deep contempt for the citizens of Spoon River. He is one of the many unhappy dead who have unkind words for the citizens of Spoon River.
Nicholas Bindle
Were you not ashamed, fellow citizens, When my estate was probated and everyone knew How small a fortune I left?— You who hounded me in life, To give, give, give to the churches, to the poor, To the village!—me who had already given much. And think you not I did not know That the pipe-organ, which I gave to the church, Played its christening songs when Deacon Rhodes, Who broke the bank and all but ruined me, Worshipped for the first time after his acquittal?
The speaker in “Nicholas Bindle” declares himself an innocent man destroyed by the guilt of others—a common theme with these reporters from the graveyard.
First Movement: Chiding for Charity
Were you not ashamed, fellow citizens, When my estate was probated and everyone knew How small a fortune I left?—
The speaker Nicholas Bindle chides his “fellow citizens” for begging him to give to charity. He needles them as he asked if they were “not ashamed” when they became aware that his estate was so meager.
After Nicholas’ death, his estate was “probated” in the courts, and the size of his holdings would have been exposed. Of course, he is implying that his generosity in giving to charities has depleted his funds. Nicholas knows that those citizens understand “how small a fortune [he] left” behind, and he wants to vent his anger and frustration over the issue.
Second Movement: Begging for More
You who hounded me in life, To give, give, give to the churches, to the poor, To the village!—me who had already given much.
Nicholas continues his rant, accusing the citizens of “hound[ing]” him to “give, give, give.” They constantly implored him to donate to church and the support the poverty stricken, as well as to the town in general.
Indignantly, the speaker claims that he had indeed given quite a bit of fortune, yet they continued to badger him to contribute even more. Nicholas wants to make sure his fellow citizens understand the deep frustration their pleading for charitable offerings has engendered in him.
Third Movement: Guilt That Goes Unpunished
And think you not I did not know That the pipe-organ, which I gave to the church, Played its christening songs when Deacon Rhodes, Who broke the bank and all but ruined me, Worshipped for the first time after his acquittal?
Finally, Nicholas does reveal that he actually did provide some bounty: he gave the church a pipe-organ. But instead of taking any comfort in his giving, he is outraged because “Deacon Rhodes” had been in attendance when the pipe-organ first “played its christening songs.”
In an earlier poem/epitaph, the reader learned about Deacon Rhodes, who won his acquittal through some legal chicanery. The unfairness of this situation rankles the frustrated Nicholas as he derides those who caused it to happen.
Although Nicholas does not allude to those specific circumstances, because he probably does not know the details, he is obsessed because Rhodes’ guilt went unpunished. Nicholas along with other citizens would have experienced financial hardship and even ruin because of old Thomas Rhodes breaking the bank.
Nicholas expresses his outrage as he compares his own situation to those whom he believes bear guilt, while he is an innocent man hounded by the busy-body citizens of Spoon River.
The speaker in Edgar Lee Masters’ “Percy Bysshe Shelley” dramatizes the relationship between his father and himself, and those differences were vast and deep.
Introduction and Text of “Percy Bysshe Shelley”
Edgar Lee Masters’ “Percy Bysshe Shelley” from his American classic Spoon River Anthology consists of five tercets, each constructing its own movement and rendering this character-poem named for a poet one of the most highly structured of all the Spoon River poem offerings. The poem creates a drama, featuring the odd relationship between a father and son.
The father had great aspirations for his son, but Percy did not have the mental and spiritual wherewithal to live up to the father’s wishes. The interesting missing feature from the relationship seems to be any malice. There is no hint of friction between the two, although they had very different temperaments and desires.
Percy Bysshe Shelley
My father who owned the wagon-shop And grew rich shoeing horses Sent me to the University of Montreal. I learned nothing and returned home, Roaming the fields with Bert Kessler, Hunting quail and snipe. At Thompson’s Lake the trigger of my gun Caught in the side of the boat And a great hole was shot through my heart. Over me a fond father erected this marble shaft, On which stands the figure of a woman Carved by an Italian artist. They say the ashes of my namesake Were scattered near the pyramid of Caius Cestius Somewhere near Rome.
Commentary “Percy Bysshe Shelley”
In this poem, the speaker is dramatizing a relationship between a father and son, whose differences are many. But while the relationship seems to have distance, there seems to be no animosity expressed by either father or son.
First Movement: Sent to Prestigious University
My father who owned the wagon-shop And grew rich shoeing horses Sent me to the University of Montreal.
Percy announces that his father ran a lucrative “wagon-shop,” earning enough money to send Percy to the “University of Montreal.” The elder Shelley “grew rich shoeing horses.”
The claim sounds rather odd, and perhaps intends to serve as an exaggeration. While such a shop might keep the owner from poverty, it is not likely that such a business would allow the owner to grow rich.
Second Movement: Learned Nothing
I learned nothing and returned home, Roaming the fields with Bert Kessler, Hunting quail and snipe.
In the second tercet, Percy admits that at the prestigious Canadian university, “I learned nothing.” So after flunking out, he “returned home.” Percy’s major activity from then on was hunting, “roaming the fields with Bert Kessler.” They hunted “quail and snipe.”
Third Movement: An Accidental Shooting
At Thompson’s Lake the trigger of my gun Caught in the side of the boat And a great hole was shot through my heart.
Percy dies in the middle of his poem. On one of his hunting expeditions “at Thompson’s Lake,” he is accidentally shot through the heart when “the trigger of [his] gun” becomes “caught in the side of the boat.” Again, Percy’s penchant for exaggeration emerges, “a great hole was shot through my heart.”
Fourth Movement: A Grave Difference
Over me a fond father erected this marble shaft, On which stands the figure of a woman Carved by an Italian artist.
Percy’s grave is quite a spectacular sight. An Italian artist’s “figure of a woman” guards his remains. His “fond father” had “erected this marble shaft” and had the carving of the woman placed there.
The disconnect between the father and son is clearly demonstrated in this movement. The father’s interests are not the same as the son’s. Because the son’s only interest was hunting, it would be expected that some hunting related theme might be used to decorate the younger man’s grave.
Fifth Movement: A Bit of History
They say the ashes of my namesake Were scattered near the pyramid of Caius Cestius Somewhere near Rome.
Percy then states a bit of historical information regarding the biography of the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, “[his] namesake.” The speaker reveals that the poet’s ashes “were scattered near the pyramid of Caius Cestius / Somewhere near Rome.”
Lack of Conflict
The name of this character is quite ironic, but it symbolizes the vast difference between this father and son. Percy could not even succeed in college, and his main interest was hunting, while the father had great ambitions for his son, beginning with his name and ending with the grave marker sculpted by an Italian artist.
While most disparities of this nature between father and son lead to a stressful and often volatile relationship, there is no evidence that these two characters resented each other. Percy remains rather emotionless but refers to his father as “a fond father” and seems very accepting of that fondness. Percy just reports a few salient facts about this life but does not seem to be aggrieved, as so many of the Spoon River epitaphs reveal.
“Sarah Brown” reveals a genuine character, employing the Buddhist term “Nirvana” to describe her afterlife experience.
Introduction and Text of “Sarah Brown”
The character “Sarah Brown” reveals an acquaintance with Buddhism as she employs the term “Nirvana” to describe her afterlife experience. As the speaker in Edgar Lee Masters’ “Sarah Brown” from the American classic Spoon River Anthology, she is one of the most positive characters of the lot. Although it is hinted that she committed adultery, she emphasizes “love” over sex.
It was Sarah’s husband who called her love for Maurice “guilty love,” but since her marriage apparently remained intact, it is not clear that she actually experienced a sexual liaison with the grieving Maurice.
Sarah Brown
Maurice, weep not, I am not here under this pine tree. The balmy air of spring whispers through the sweet grass, The stars sparkle, the whippoorwill calls, But thou grievest, while my soul lies rapturous In the blest Nirvana of eternal light! Go to the good heart that is my husband, Who broods upon what he calls our guilty love:— Tell him that my love for you, no less than my love for him Wrought out my destiny—that through the flesh I won spirit, and through spirit, peace. There is no marriage in heaven, But there is love.
Commentary on “Sarah Brown”
The speaker in this epitaph attempts to console her grieving husband who seemed to misunderstand his wife’s spiritual nature.
First Movement: Dust to Dust, Not Spoken of the Soul
Maurice, weep not, I am not here under this pine tree.
Sarah Brown addresses Maurice, as he mourns at her grave side. She reveals to him that she is not in the grave “under this pine tree.”
Second Movement: As the Soul Sees
The balmy air of spring whispers through the sweet grass, The stars sparkle, the whippoorwill calls, But thou grievest, while my soul lies rapturous In the blest Nirvana of eternal light!
To prove to Maurice that she, that is, her soul, is not confined to the dark, dank hole in the ground, she describes the setting above ground: the stars are out and a bird is singing.
She asserts that Maurice is mourning, but she is experiencing a blessed state of ecstasy wrapped in the bliss of “eternal light.” Sarah Brown exemplifies a Spoon River resident whose soul has evolved to a higher realm than most of the other complaining deceased of the town.
Instead of railing against the unfairness of the small minded folks among whom she lived, as so many others do, she reveals a very positive, even minded attitude, and she tries only to console those left behind, especially Maurice who has come to her grave to mourn.
Third Movement: Winds From the East
Go to the good heart that is my husband, Who broods upon what he calls our guilty love:—
After attempting to relieve Maurice’s grief, Sarah Brown commands him to go to her husband who is smarting because he thought of Sarah’s affection for Maurice as “guilty love.”
Sarah describes her husband as “the good heart” and continues to think of him as her husband still, even though she has departed earth, and despite the claim she later makes in the final movement.
Another indication that Sarah Brown is influenced by Eastern philosophical thought is that she focuses primarily on action in the present tense—the “eternal now”—as referred to in Buddhism.
Fourth Movement: Heightened Awareness
Tell him that my love for you, no less than my love for him Wrought out my destiny—that through the flesh I won spirit, and through spirit, peace.
Sarah Brown then reveals the message she wishes Maurice to deliver to her husband. She wants her husband to know that her love for both men has been instrumental in shaping who she has become, that is, that love has “wrought out [her] destiny.”
She clarifies that “through the flesh / [she] won spirit, and through spirit, peace.” Her infidelity was no mere ordinary dalliance prompted by greed, but because of her heightened awareness, played a rôle in leading her soul to divine awareness.
Fifth Movement: Love Cannot Be Confined
There is no marriage in heaven, But there is love.
Finally, Sarah Brown reveals that “There is no marriage in heaven / But there is love.” Sarah Brown became a free spirit while living and thus concludes from heaven that if love is supreme in the afterlife, then marriage cannot confine love while on the earth plane.
Edgar Lee Masters’ “Knowlt Hoheimer” features a 10-line poem (epitaph) with two movements. As usual, this epitaph reveals the character of the speaker, even as he tries to castigate others.
Introduction and Text of “Knowlt Hoheimer”
In Edgar Lee Masters’ Spoon River Anthology, the short poem, or epitaph as Masters called them, “Knowlt Hoheimer” features a man who regrets among other things that he had the misfortune of dying in battle.
Knowlt Hoheimer
I was the first fruits of the battle of Missionary Ridge. When I felt the bullet enter my heart I wished I had staid at home and gone to jail For stealing the hogs of Curl Trenary, Instead of running away and joining the army. Rather a thousand times the country jail Than to lie under this marble figure with wings, And this granite pedestal Bearing the words, “Pro Patria.” What do they mean, anyway?
Commentary on “Knowlt Hoheimer”
According to Knowlt, he simply joined the army to avoid jail. He stole some livestock belonging to another man, and thus faced serving time for the crime.
First Movement: The Costs of Avoiding Jail
I was the first fruits of the battle of Missionary Ridge. When I felt the bullet enter my heart I wished I had staid at home and gone to jail For stealing the hogs of Curl Trenary, Instead of running away and joining the army.
Knowlt is claiming to have been the first casualty of “the battle of Missionary Ridge.” He died after “the bullet enter[ed his] heart.” Knowlt had signed up with the army and went off to war to avoid being incarcerated. After stealing some farm animals belonging to Curl Trenary, Knowlt simply ran off to join the army.
Because he is now dead, having become the first to die in the battle in which his infantry was engaged, he deeply regrets his choice. He discovers that serving some jail time would be preferable to dying in war.
Second Movement: Regretting a Decision
Rather a thousand times the country jail Than to lie under this marble figure with wings, And this granite pedestal Bearing the words, “Pro Patria.” What do they mean, anyway?
Knowlt now professes great regret over his deadly decision. He now figures that being jailed a thousand times would be better than dying and now lying under a slab of concrete with an inappropriate angelic symbol marking his grave. Knowlt supposes that he would still be living, had he served his time in jail. He imagines that serving a thousand jail terms would beat dying.
Apparently, Knowlt has been recognized as a war hero. He rests beneath a majestic monument which he describes: “this marble figure with wings, / And this granite pedestal / Bearing the words, “Pro Patria.” Knowlt reveals that he does not even comprehend that “Pro Patria” means “for country.” He asks rather sarcastically, “What do they mean, anyway?”
That he does not even know the Latin phrase suggests that he would not believe the sentiment even if he understood the words in translation. He likely believes along with the speaker in “Dulce et Decorum Est” that Horace’s old adage was a lie. Knowlt, by revealing what he does not know, further reveals his ignorant narcissism.
The third poem in the Minerva Jones series features “Doctor Meyers,” who performed the abortion that led to the death of the unfortunate poetess.
Introduction and Text of “Doctor Meyers”
Edgar Lee Masters’”Doctor Meyers” from Spoon River Anthology is an American-Innovative sonnet that innovatively and without rime begins with a couplet and then moves through the poem in four tercets. The doctor’s involvement in Minerva’s situation deepens the drama and helps to fill out the characterization of the participants in this sordid event.
Doctor Meyers
No other man, unless it was Doc Hill, Did more for people in this town than I. And all the weak, the halt, the improvident And those who could not pay flocked to me. I was good-hearted, easy Doctor Meyers. I was healthy, happy, in comfortable fortune, Blest with a congenial mate, my children raised, All wedded, doing well in the world. And then one night, Minerva, the poetess, Came to me in her trouble, crying. I tried to help her out—she died— They indicted me, the newspapers disgraced me, My wife perished of a broken heart. And pneumonia finished me.
Reading of “Doctor Meyers”
Commentary on “Doctor Meyers”
The third poem in the “Minerva Jones” series features “Doctor Meyers” the physician, who performed the illegal abortion that led to the death of the unfortunate poetess.
The Couplet: Braggart or Accurate and Evenhanded?
No other man, unless it was Doc Hill, Did more for people in this town than I.
The epitaph “Doctor Meyers” continues the “Minerva” series in the third installment of this mini-drama.
In the opening couplet, Doctor Meyers informs his listeners that he “did more for people of this town” than anyone else, with the possible exception of “Doc Hill.” A first impression taken from a cynical point of view might suppose that the character of Doctor Meyers resembles that of a braggart.
But because he reckons that another doctor might have done more for the people, the reader is likely to conclude that Doctor Meyers’ testimony is accurate and evenhanded.
The doctor does make it clear that he feels his service to his community had always been useful and valuable. He sets up his drama in a way that makes his down-fall even more tragic than it otherwise would have been.
First Tercet: A Sympathetic Practice
And all the weak, the halt, the improvident And those who could not pay flocked to me. I was good-hearted, easy Doctor Meyers.
Doctor Mayers then describes his medical practice as a sympathetic one that cared for “all the weak, the halt, the improvident.” And additionally, the sick ones “who could not pay” found Doctor Meyers helpful and accommodating as well.
The doctor says that he was “good-hearted, easy Doctor Meyers,” and he is proffering the thoughts of those he had served. Thus, he has established his stellar reputation as a fine, upstanding Spoon River citizen.
Again, a cynical view could be taken, but, in fact, he must have provided helpful services to those in need; otherwise, there is no explaining why patients “flocked to” him. Also, he must have provided valuable medical services to most of the citizens because he remained financially well off.
Second Tercet: A Successful Life
I was healthy, happy, in comfortable fortune, Blest with a congenial mate, my children raised, All wedded, doing well in the world.
The doctor then reports the quality of his life, describing it as “healthy, happy, in comfortable fortune.” He had been “blest with a congenial mate,” and their children were successful and all married.
Doctor Meyers had achieved the success for which most people strive. His successful, content life sets up the drama for his downfall. This description of his life reveals one who has done his duty without deceiving or undermining others in his zeal to thrive. Such a person deserves to live out his life in peace and tranquility—or so it would seem.
Third Tercet: Fate and the Unhealthy Turn
And then one night, Minerva, the poetess, Came to me in her trouble, crying. I tried to help her out—she died—
But then the doctor’s fate takes an unhealthy turn, when one fateful night the village “poetess” Minerva Jones came to him crying because she was pregnant and unmarried. Minerva was seeking to rid herself of her inconvenient condition.
The doctor tried to “help her out,” but then Minerva died. By “help her out,” the doctor is euphemistically referring to the fact that he broke the law by performing an illegal abortion, killing Minerva’s unborn baby.
In the first poem of the series, the reader had learned that Minerva had gone to Doctor Meyers after becoming impregnated with “Butch” Weldy’s child; Minerva reports that she died after treatment by Doctor Meyers.
Fourth Tercet: When Abortion Was Still Murder
They indicted me, the newspapers disgraced me, My wife perished of a broken heart. And pneumonia finished me.
Because abortion was illegal at that time, (Roe v Wade was decided in 1973, and these poems were written between 1900 and 1915), the doctor was arrested, indicted, and faced prison. Of course, his fate was reported in the newspapers, and the turn of events adversely affected his wife. He states that he died of “pneumonia.”
Mrs. Meyers’ Perspective
Without the next poem, “Mrs. Meyers,” number 4 in this series which offers testimony from the doctor’s wife, the reader might remain of the mind that Doctor Meyers did not deserve his fate. But Mrs. Meyers puts things in their proper perspective. Even so, the reader will continue to feel a certain amount of pity for this poor physician.
Everyone associated with macabre tale deserves pity, even Minerva, who sought the abortion. And unwanted pregnancy seldom leads to a congenial outcome. Mrs. Meyers’ contribution offers a useful bit of information, helping fill out some of the details about this series.
The Minerva Jones Sequence
Minerva Jones The “Minerva Jones” epitaph features one of the most depraved characters of the Spoon River talking dead. She is self-absorbed and haughty, lacking empathy and self-awareness, causing her to remain ignorant of her own discordant thoughts.
“Indignation” Jones In the second epitaph of the “Minerva” series, the poetess’ father, “Indignation” Jones, fulminates against Spoon River society.
Doctor Meyers The third epitaph in the Minerva Jones series features “Doctor Meyers,” who performed the abortion that led to the death of the unfortunate poetess.
Mrs. MeyersIn the fourth epitaph in this series,”Mrs. Meyers,” Dr. Meyers’ wife testifies that her husband, whom she calls “poor soul,” reaped what he sowed for his actions in life. The religious woman offers advice for a pleasant and peaceful life, reminding humanity to “Love God and keep his commandments.”
“Butch” WeldyThe fifth and final epitaph “‘Butch’ Weldy” concludes the “Minerva Jones” series. Butch declaims about his ordeal after a work related accident—with nary a nod to Minerva.
The “Minerva Jones” epitaph features one of the most depraved characters of the Spoon River talking dead. She is self-absorbed and haughty, lacking empathy and self-awareness, causing her to remain ignorant of her own discordant thoughts.
Introduction with Text of “Minerva Jones”
This epitaph “Minerva Jones” is the first in a series of five interrelated epitaphs: “‘Indignation’ Jones,” “Doctor Meyers,” “Mrs. Meyers,” and “‘Butch’ Weldy.” Edgar Lee Masters’ “Minerva Jones” from his American classic, Spoon River Anthology, dramatizes the report of a dense, young woman, who died after undergoing an abortion.
The issue of forced intercourse drives much of the discussion by casual readers in the interpretation of this epitaph. Minerva does not state directly that Butch Weldy forced himself upon her.
Instead, she implies that the two were engaged in a relationship prior to her becoming pregnant with Weldy’s child. The issue of rape becomes a tool for rehabilitating Minerva’s character and making her abortion seem less abhorrent. It needs to be remembered that abortion was illegal during this time period of American history.
Interestingly, the information revealed by the other characters in his series does not clarify Minerva’s motives. The character most closely involved with Minerva’s situation is Butch Weldy, and he does not even mention her in his harrowing tale.
Mrs. Meyers remarks about her husband Doctor Meyers, who performed Minerva’s abortion procedure, “he was not at fault for Minerva’s fall.” Mrs. Mayers’ statement indicates that Minerva was, in fact, less than the victim she professes. It was Minerva’s “fall” even if others were intimately or tangentially involved.
Minerva Jones
I am Minerva, the village poetess, Hooted at, jeered at by the Yahoos of the street For my heavy body, cock-eye, and rolling walk, And all the more when “Butch” Weldy Captured me after a brutal hunt. He left me to my fate with Doctor Meyers; And I sank into death, growing numb from the feet up, Like one stepping deeper and deeper into a stream of ice. Will some one go to the village newspaper, And gather into a book the verses I wrote?— I thirsted so for love! I hungered so for life!
Commentary on “Minerva Jones”
In this epitaph, Minerva Jones, professing herself to be “the village poetess,” presents herself as a victim of the hooting mobs of the town. But worse for her is that she is also a victim, left alone and pregnant by another Spoon River character “Butch” Weldy. Still worse is that she finally loses her life after being victimized by a medical procedure performed by another Spoon River character Doctor Meyers.
First Movement: Acquainted with Classic Works
I am Minerva, the village poetess, Hooted at, jeered at by the Yahoos of the street For my heavy body, cock-eye, and rolling walk, And all the more when “Butch” Weldy Captured me after a brutal hunt.
Minerva proudly proclaims herself as the poet of Spoon River. But then she complains that she was jeered at by the townspeople. Likening the boorish individuals of the village to the Swiftian characters “the Yahoos” in Gulliver’s Travels, Minerva demonstrates that she is, in fact, acquainted with classic literary works.
Such knowledge allows her to deem herself above her fellow citizens of Spoon River, similar to her father “Indignation” Jones. These “Yahoos” taunted poor Minerva because of her huge body, crooked eyes, and abnormal gait. And these characteristics were only exacerbated by her pregnancy.
Minerva then describes her relationship with “Butch” Weldy as a “brutal hunt” after which he “captured” her. This description indicates that she is attempting to portray herself as a victim, in order to excuse her own deeds: he hunted her, he captured her. As a victim, she considers her own deeds not under her control.
Thus in her own mind, Minerva remains the innocent victim of the brutal man “Butch” Weldy. However, Minerva does not state specifically that Butch forced himself upon her, although she does attempt to imply as much. Those implications demonstrate that she is now excusing her own behavior—a typical response of many of the Spoon River residents to their own flaws.
Second Movement: Abandoned to Her Fate
He left me to my fate with Doctor Meyers; And I sank into death, growing numb from the feet up, Like one stepping deeper and deeper into a stream of ice.
Minerva then states that Butch “left me to my fate with Doctor Meyers.” By stating that he “left” her, she is implying that they were, in fact, a couple. It is unlikely that a woman who has been brutally raped would lament being “left” by her rapist.
After being abandoned by her baby’s father, Minerva attempts to solve her problem pregnancy by seeking out a doctor who is willing to illegally abort her baby. And sadly the procedure performed by Doctor Meyers results in her death.
Third Movement: No Thought of the New Life
Will some one go to the village newspaper, And gather into a book the verses I wrote?—
With no thought given to the baby’s death, Minerva’s attention turns to her “verses” which had been published in the “village newspaper.” She then suggests that some citizen of the town visit the newspaper office to collect her verses and publish them in a book.
The selfishness demonstrated by this request should alert readers to the depravity of Minerva’s character. She gives not a single thought to the baby’s life she has snuffed out. Instead, first decrying her own death, which is certainly understandable, but then her second thought of asking someone to collect and publish her poetry for her shows her heartless, audacious selfishness.
Fourth Movement: The Epitome of Irony
I thirsted so for love! I hungered so for life!
Minerva’s final flourish reveals the epitome of irony: she “thirsted so for love!” Might she not have had much love to give and receive from the child she aborted? She “hungered so for life!” Not the life that was growing inside her, however.
Minerva reveals herself to be one of the most disturbed and duplicitous characters of Spoon River. After losing her life, Minerva is now asking for someone to collect her verses into a book to demonstrate that what happened to her was a great tragedy because she “thirsted so for love!” and “hungered so for life!”
Rehabilitating Minerva Jones’ Character
In the epitaph, “Minerva Jones,” the issue of forced intercourse drives much of the discussion of the interpretation of this poem. Minerva does not state directly that Butch attacked her for sex, but rather she implies that the two were engaged in a relationship prior to her becoming pregnant with Weldy’s child.
By insisting that she was brutally attacked and forcibly coerced, some readers attempt to rehabilitate Minerva’s reputation; according to their logic, if she were attacked and forced, then she would be a faultless victim, and thus her ending her pregnancy would be more easily justified.
Even legislation that seeks to end or limit abortion often allows for the procedure in cases of incest and rape. So it is important to those who wish to support easy access to abortion procedures that the fictional character Minerva Jones remain a victim entitled to the procedure because she was attacked and forced to experience sexual intercourse.
But if Minerva and Butch were both willing lovers until the pregnancy ended the relationship, then Minerva’s choosing to abort the “love child” becomes more likely to bring disgrace upon her. Suffering the inconvenience of pregnancy cannot compare with suffering the victimhood of a forcible attack.
Finally, Minerva’s exclamatory insistence that she “thirsted so for love!” and “hungered so for life!” ring ironically hollow: she aborted the one individual who could have given her love through the child’s very life.
Whether she was attacked and forced or was the willing participant in her relationship with Butch Weldy, she could have had a child to love and nurture. But her final words demonstrate that she cared more about her published verse than she did for the life that she had carried. Such depravity and selfishness cannot be rehabilitated, despite the attempts by pro-abortionists.
The Minerva Jones Sequence
Minerva Jones The “Minerva Jones” epitaph features one of the most depraved characters of the Spoon River talking dead. She is self-absorbed and haughty, lacking empathy and self-awareness, causing her to remain ignorant of her own discordant thoughts.
“Indignation” Jones In the second epitaph of the “Minerva” series, the poetess’ father, “Indignation” Jones, fulminates against Spoon River society.
Doctor Meyers The third epitaph in the Minerva Jones series features “Doctor Meyers,” who performed the abortion that led to the death of the unfortunate poetess.
Mrs. MeyersIn the fourth epitaph in this series,”Mrs. Meyers,” Dr. Meyers’ wife testifies that her husband, whom she calls “poor soul,” reaped what he sowed for his actions in life. The religious woman offers advice for a pleasant and peaceful life, reminding humanity to “Love God and keep his commandments.”
“Butch” WeldyThe fifth and final epitaph “‘Butch’ Weldy” concludes the “Minerva Jones” series. Butch declaims about his ordeal after a work related accident—with nary a nod to Minerva.
Trainor, the Druggist, offers an additional perspective on the Pantier marriage.
Introduction and Text of “Trainor, the Druggist”
Edgar Lee Masters’ “Trainor, the Druggist” from Spoon River Anthology offers a final installment covering the pitiful story of the Pantiers: Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Pantier and their son, Reuben.
Trainor, the chemist/druggist, dramatizes his take on the Pantiers’ marriage as he philosophizes about how chemicals and personalities may combine to produce results unlike either of the components.
Trainor, the Druggist
Only the chemist can tell, and not always the chemist, What will result from compounding Fluids or solids. And who can tell How men and women will interact On each other, or what children will result? There were Benjamin Pantier and his wife, Good in themselves, but evil toward each other: He oxygen, she hydrogen, Their son, a devastating fire. I Trainor, the druggist, a mixer of chemicals, Killed while making an experiment, Lived unwedded.
Interpretive Reading of “Trainor the Druggist”
Commentary on “Trainor, the Druggist”
Edgar Lee Masters just could not let go of the Pantiers; in “Trainor, the Druggist,” yet another and final installment focusing on the couple is offered.
First Movement: Begins by Contradicting Himself
Only the chemist can tell, and not always the chemist, What will result from compounding Fluids or solids.
Trainor begins by remarking and somewhat contradicting himself about what a chemist can know. He first states that “only” a chemist can know the results of combining certain substances, but he quickly adds that not even a chemist can “always” know the result of “compounding / Fluids and solids.”
By using the substances “fluids and solids,” Trainor avoids sounding overly esoteric and confusing in his statement, although later he settles on the use of “oxygen” and “hydrogen” to express the natures of the Pantiers.
Second Movement: Who? Indeed!
And who can tell How men and women will interact On each other, or what children will result?
Trainor then asks a rhetorical question, wondering who can ever predict how a certain man and a certain woman might react to their relationship. He also wonders, “what children will result?”
Of course, no one can know how any given couple will eventually grow in a relationship, and the possibilities are endless, as are the possibilities of the kinds of children that might spring from any given relationship. The chemist can know how certain chemicals will react with each, but even the chemist will have to admit that many combinations have yet to be tried.
Third Movement: The Pantiers
There were Benjamin Pantier and his wife, Good in themselves, but evil toward each other: He oxygen, she hydrogen, Their son, a devastating fire.
In the third movement, Trainor focuses on the Pantiers, concluding that each was “good in themselves.” But when they were bound in a relationship, they were “evil toward each other.”
Trainor then likens Benjamin to “oxygen,” while Mrs. Benjamin was like “hydrogen.” But the combination was, unfortunately, not in a useful proportion that would result, for example, in water; it was some combination that produces “fire.” Trainor says, “Their son, a devastating fire.”
Fourth Movement: Trainor, Somewhat Ditzy
I Trainor, the druggist, a mixer of chemicals, Killed while making an experiment, Lived unwedded.
In the final movement, the reader learns that Trainor was killed while “making an experiment.” As a “mixer of chemicals,” Trainor turns out to be incompetent, but he reports that he “lived unwedded,” which, to Trainor’s way of thinking, gives him at least a measure of pride of achievement.
Of course, the reader will remember that Reuben Pantier turned his life around and was able to extinguish the “devastating fire” in himself—an eventuality that also underscores the incompetence of the druggist.
The Pantier Sequence
The five epigraphs that comprise the “Pantier Sequence”:
Benjamin Pantier A husband who appears to be weakling allowing himself to be cowed by his wife, an arrogant bully.
Mrs. Benjamin Pantier Unbridled arrogance, overweening vanity along with cowardly weakness have combined to bring about the destruction of the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Pantier.
Reuben Pantier Reuben Pantier’s colorful character helps dramatize the power of spiritual love for healing the mind, heart, and soul, even through the distance of miles and decades. Reuben is the son of the dysfunctional couple Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Pantier.
Emily Sparks The epitaph is the fourth entry in the sequence of five epitaphs featuring a dysfunctional couple, their son, and the latter’s influential mentor.
Trainor, the Druggist This epitaph offers a final installment covering the pitiful story of the Pantiers: Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Pantier and their son Reuben.
