Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Wallace Stevens’ "Table Talk" is a compact, conversational reflection on the nature of taste, preference, and the inevitability of mortality. Through a deceptively simple structure and a tone reminiscent of casual discussion, Stevens delves into profound questions about the nature of individual experience and the arbitrary yet meaningful patterns that emerge from personal preferences. The poem invites readers to consider the interplay between subjective taste and the randomness of existence, ultimately affirming the significance of personal inclinations within the broader framework of life’s transience.

The poem opens with a stark acknowledgment of mortality: "Granted, / I, we die for good." This plain and direct statement sets the existential tone, establishing death as an unassailable fact that frames the subsequent reflections. In light of this finality, Stevens shifts attention to life itself, describing it as "largely a thing / Of happens to like, not should." This distinction between "like" and "should" suggests a rejection of prescriptive norms or moral imperatives in favor of individual preference and subjective experience. Life, for Stevens, is defined less by duty or obligation and more by the idiosyncratic patterns of what one enjoys or values.

The speaker then asks a question that probes the nature of personal taste: "Why / Do I happen to like red bush, / Gray grass and green-gray sky?" The specificity of these preferences—red bush, gray grass, green-gray sky—grounds the philosophical inquiry in vivid, sensory detail. These particular choices seem arbitrary yet resonate with a deeper, almost instinctual significance. The repetition of "why" underscores the mystery of taste, suggesting that our preferences are both deeply felt and ultimately inexplicable.

Stevens immediately refines this question, distancing the speaker from a universalist perspective: "What else remains? But red, / Gray, green, why those of all? / That is not what I said: / Not those of all. But those." This clarification emphasizes the personal and contingent nature of preference. The speaker is not asserting that these colors are universally meaningful but rather that they hold a unique resonance for them. The distinction between "those of all" and "those" highlights the individuality of taste, rejecting any notion of an objective hierarchy of beauty or value.

The poem continues with a philosophical observation: "One likes what one happens to like. / One likes the way red grows." This line captures the randomness and inevitability of preference, framing it as an almost passive occurrence rather than an active choice. The phrase "the way red grows" suggests an organic, natural quality to preference, as if taste unfolds in response to stimuli in the same way that a plant grows toward the light. This idea affirms the authenticity of personal inclinations, portraying them as intrinsic and spontaneous rather than imposed or rationalized.

The closing lines, "It cannot matter at all. / Happens to like is one / Of the ways things happen to fall," reflect a mixture of resignation and acceptance. The phrase "It cannot matter at all" acknowledges the seeming triviality of individual preferences in the grand scheme of things. Yet the final line situates "happens to like" within the broader framework of randomness and chance, suggesting that taste is one of the many ways life organizes itself into patterns. This perspective transforms what might seem insignificant into a meaningful aspect of existence, affirming the value of individual experience within the chaos of life.

Structurally, the poem’s conversational tone and free verse form reinforce its accessibility and immediacy. The use of repetition and rhetorical questioning mimics the flow of informal dialogue, inviting readers into the speaker’s thought process. This simplicity belies the poem’s philosophical depth, creating a tension between the casual surface and the weighty ideas beneath.

"Table Talk" is a meditation on the arbitrary yet deeply personal nature of human preferences. Through its exploration of taste and mortality, the poem affirms the value of individual experience, suggesting that the seemingly trivial act of "happens to like" is both a reflection of life’s randomness and a meaningful way of engaging with the world. By blending conversational ease with existential inquiry, Stevens invites readers to embrace their unique inclinations as essential to the human condition, even in the face of life’s impermanence.

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