Everett Gillis argues that Stephen Crane’s “In the Desert” (2004) “celebrates integrity” and demonstrates the “positive, ethical side” of poetry (76). Despite this, an understanding of Sigmund Freud’s concept of “the uncanny,” as “that class of the frightening which leads back to what is known of old and long familiar ” (825) can show how Crane’s poem provides a negative portrayal of the nature of humanity: not celebrating “integrity” but instead drawing attention to the disturbing flaws of humans. Crane purposefully creates a sense of uncanniness, to make the reader uncomfortable when considering the realities of human nature. The disjointed and unstructured form of free verse causes the poem to feel unsettling. Despite this, it is ‘freed’
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The persona initially introduces the second speaker as a “creature” (2), which has connotations of an unidentifiable, malicious beast. The noun is almost onomatopoeic as it is suggestive of clawing and scratching sounds. The adjective “naked” (2) contradicts the image of an animal-like being, as it connotes human infancy and the uncivilised origin of humanity, whilst drawing upon the feeling of vulnerability readers may associate with. Uncanniness is created when this familiarity is framed by the unfamiliar: “I saw a creature, naked, bestial” (2). The adjectives appear jarring and harsh due to cacophony, which emphasises the juxtaposition between ‘the known’ and ‘the other’. Moreover, “in his hands” (4) further implies the humanness of the “creature” through the gendered possessive adjective “his” and the use of “hands” instead of ‘claws.’ These are unexpected language choices that signify the human identity of the “creature”. Additionally, the recognisable expression ‘Eat your heart out’ is alluded to: “Held his heart in his hands, / And ate of it” (5). The unusual syntax, “at of it” implies a gory scene by prolonging the action of consuming the heart, therefore making it seem more savage and unnatural. Here, the uncanny is created by contrasting recognised, humanistic language with the abnormal and …show more content…
Therefore, the limited words contain many symbolic layers. The poem can be understood to be an allegory for the hidden aspect of the human mind. “The desert” (1) has connotations of a solitary landscape, far from civilisation. This implies a level of distance and inaccessibility which suggests that the setting is the subconscious mind. To reach a desert one has to travel far away — implying that the poem represents troubling repressed thoughts that are buried deep within the unconscious. “The desert”, a place where there is extremely limited supplies of food and water, brings basic primal, survival drives to the forefront of the mind, thus acting as a symbol for the primitive side of human nature. Consequently, this is an expression of the uncanny as although it may be unnerving to accept that the root of humanity lies in our primary physiological needs, there is also a distinct awareness of
The persona initially introduces the second speaker as a “creature” (2), which has connotations of an unidentifiable, malicious beast. The noun is almost onomatopoeic as it is suggestive of clawing and scratching sounds. The adjective “naked” (2) contradicts the image of an animal-like being, as it connotes human infancy and the uncivilised origin of humanity, whilst drawing upon the feeling of vulnerability readers may associate with. Uncanniness is created when this familiarity is framed by the unfamiliar: “I saw a creature, naked, bestial” (2). The adjectives appear jarring and harsh due to cacophony, which emphasises the juxtaposition between ‘the known’ and ‘the other’. Moreover, “in his hands” (4) further implies the humanness of the “creature” through the gendered possessive adjective “his” and the use of “hands” instead of ‘claws.’ These are unexpected language choices that signify the human identity of the “creature”. Additionally, the recognisable expression ‘Eat your heart out’ is alluded to: “Held his heart in his hands, / And ate of it” (5). The unusual syntax, “at of it” implies a gory scene by prolonging the action of consuming the heart, therefore making it seem more savage and unnatural. Here, the uncanny is created by contrasting recognised, humanistic language with the abnormal and …show more content…
Therefore, the limited words contain many symbolic layers. The poem can be understood to be an allegory for the hidden aspect of the human mind. “The desert” (1) has connotations of a solitary landscape, far from civilisation. This implies a level of distance and inaccessibility which suggests that the setting is the subconscious mind. To reach a desert one has to travel far away — implying that the poem represents troubling repressed thoughts that are buried deep within the unconscious. “The desert”, a place where there is extremely limited supplies of food and water, brings basic primal, survival drives to the forefront of the mind, thus acting as a symbol for the primitive side of human nature. Consequently, this is an expression of the uncanny as although it may be unnerving to accept that the root of humanity lies in our primary physiological needs, there is also a distinct awareness of