Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Alicia Suskin Ostriker's poem "Three Men Walking, Three Brown Silhouettes" presents a contemplative scene in which three men, silhouetted against a snowy evening, reflect on the concept of resistance and its profound implications. The poem explores themes of memory, purity, the struggle against the inevitable decay of life, and the paradoxical beauty of resistance, even in the face of futility.

The poem begins with the three men walking together, their thoughts turning to "the dead who died in the resistance." The tone is immediately one of reverence and melancholy as they "speak of them" in "sweet tones." The men are deeply moved by the memory of those who fought and died for a cause, perhaps in the face of oppression or tyranny. The phrase "they shake their heads" captures a common gesture of disbelief or sorrow, indicating that the men are still grappling with the weight of these memories and the sacrifices made by those who resisted.

As the men walk, "an evening snow" begins to fall "windlessly, white from pearl-gray." The snow, a recurring symbol throughout the poem, represents both the cold, indifferent passage of time and a blanket of purity that temporarily covers the ugliness of the world. The streets, already "slushy," suggest that the world is a mix of beauty and decay, with the purity of the snow quickly turning to muck.

The men's conversation turns to the nature of dying in resistance. They reflect on it as an act that "is to fail / To turn into slush, to escape this ugliness." Here, resistance is framed as a noble act, one that elevates the individual above the inevitable degradation of life ("slush") and toward something transcendent, symbolized by "a creamy swan, / Upward." This image of a swan leaping upward suggests a moment of grace, beauty, and purity that stands in stark contrast to the grim reality of the world.

The poem's musical metaphor—"Three voices: oboe, piano, cello"—captures the different emotional tones and roles of the three men. The "high one wishes to be pleasing," the "middle to be practical," and the "deep to persevere," suggesting that each man represents a different approach to life and resistance. This trio of voices mirrors the complexity of their reflections and the harmony and dissonance of their thoughts.

As they walk, they encounter the bright lights of a movie theater, "like a woman / Swiftly emptying a bucket of water." This simile evokes a sense of cleansing or renewal, though fleeting and perhaps illusory, as the light briefly illuminates the snowflakes before they continue their descent into the slushy streets. The men then pass a café and a closed pharmacy, symbols of ordinary life that contrast with the weighty thoughts occupying their minds.

The poem introduces the idea of trying "to live as if there were no God," a phrase the men do not say but implicitly understand. This suggestion touches on existential themes, where the absence of divine justice or order leaves humans to find meaning and morality in a world that often seems indifferent. The recollection of "purity" and the "clean / Handkerchief each man feels in his own pocket" symbolizes a longing for something untainted, something that can be held onto as a reminder of decency and cleanliness in a world that is often anything but.

The poem then brings the men back to the harsh reality of the world: "A yellow stain on a pile of old snow / Between two parked cars, where a man has peed." This image disrupts the purity of the falling snow, reminding the men (and the reader) of the inevitable corruption and degradation in life. The "resistance" in this context is not just the grand acts of defiance but also the small, often futile acts of maintaining dignity in the face of a world that constantly erodes it.

As the snow grows heavier, "falling / On the men’s hats...falls on their stooping shoulders," the weight of their reflections, the burdens of life, and the inevitability of aging and decline become palpable. The snow, once a symbol of purity, now becomes a burden, pressing down on them as they walk, just as the weight of their memories and the harsh truths of the world weigh on their spirits.

In "Three Men Walking, Three Brown Silhouettes," Ostriker masterfully captures the complexity of human experience—the longing for purity and meaning, the recognition of the world's inherent ugliness, and the struggle to resist decay and degradation, both external and internal. The poem suggests that resistance, in all its forms, is an act of defiance against the inevitable, a way of asserting one's humanity in a world that often seems devoid of it. Yet, this resistance is tinged with the awareness of its limitations, as the men walk on, burdened by the snow and the knowledge of what lies beneath it.

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