Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "The Pictures," John Hollander delves into themes of generational legacy, impermanence, and the interplay between light and shadow to evoke a deep contemplation of existence and memory. Through striking imagery and philosophical reflection, Hollander invites readers to explore the nuances of how we perceive and inherit the past.

The poem begins with a reflection in water speaking to the reader: "His reflection in water said: / The father is light's general, / The son is but a morning star." This opening suggests a hierarchical relationship between father and son, comparing the father to a commanding force of light and the son to a fleeting celestial body that heralds the dawn. The imagery of the "morning star" rising into the "failure of daylight" signifies the son's struggle against the overwhelming presence of the father. This upward fall, paradoxically, highlights the son's eventual fading in the face of the father's dominant light, underscoring a sense of inevitable diminishment.

The poem then shifts to a cold shadow on a rock, which speaks of what lies beneath it: "Under me, unshading, lies the / Skeleton of an Indian." This stark image evokes a sense of historical and cultural erasure, where the physical remains of an indigenous person are reduced to bones beneath a shadow. The dead, the poem asserts, "are not even / Things. Nor odd beings." This line emphasizes the idea that the dead, and perhaps by extension the past, become abstracted and disconnected from the living, losing their individuality and significance over time.

The progression from "stones and bones" to "bone and stone" and ultimately to "crumbling" and becoming "part of night" encapsulates the cycle of decay and return to the earth. This imagery suggests that everything eventually fades into the undifferentiated fabric of the night, highlighting the transient nature of existence. The final transformation into part of the night symbolizes the ultimate dissolution of identity and form into the vast, encompassing darkness.

Hollander's use of reflection and shadow as narrative voices adds a layer of complexity to the poem. The reflection in water and the shadow on the rock serve as metaphors for how we perceive and interpret the legacies of the past. The reflection, associated with light and clarity, presents a more immediate and personal contemplation of legacy, while the shadow, associated with darkness and obscurity, speaks to the deeper, more hidden aspects of history and memory.

The interplay between light and shadow throughout the poem underscores the duality of presence and absence, visibility and invisibility. The father's role as "light's general" suggests a commanding and pervasive influence, while the son's role as a "morning star" suggests a brief and vulnerable existence. The shadow, meanwhile, serves as a reminder of what is hidden and forgotten, lying beneath the surface of our conscious awareness.

In "The Pictures," Hollander masterfully intertwines personal and historical reflections to create a meditation on the nature of legacy, memory, and the inexorable passage of time. The poem's rich imagery and philosophical depth invite readers to consider how we perceive and remember the past, and how these perceptions shape our understanding of existence. Through the lens of light and shadow, Hollander reveals the delicate balance between presence and absence, and the inevitable fading of all things into the night.

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