Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Fargo" by John Updike offers a vivid and textured portrayal of life in the northern Great Plains, specifically focusing on the city of Fargo and its surrounding rural areas. Updike's poem encapsulates the stark, expansive beauty of this part of the United States, while also delving into the unique cultural and environmental aspects that define it.

The opening line, "The fertillest soil this side of the Tigris and Euphrates"—so the schoolchildren of the countryside are taught,' ' immediately establishes a grand, almost mythic view of the land. By comparing Fargo's soil to that of the ancient and historically fertile regions near the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, Updike emphasizes the pride and the lore local people have in their agricultural heritage. This sets a tone of reverence and awe for the natural resources and the farming culture that dominates the area.

The description of the land as "flat as a checkerboard to the hem of the sky" further emphasizes the vastness and the geometric expansiveness of the plains. This imagery paints a picture of an endless, unobstructed view that meets the sky, offering a sense of both freedom and isolation. The "giant sky, pale green at dusk, stays black long after morning cow-milking time" illustrates the dramatic and ever-present backdrop of nature that defines life in Fargo, showing how the natural environment influences daily routines.

Updike touches on the harshness of the climate with "Wind is incessant in winter, so that snow falls sideways, like arctic sunshine." This line beautifully captures the brutal, biting winters that characterize the northern plains, where the wind reshapes even the snowfall into an almost horizontal phenomenon, likening it to sunshine in its constancy and pervasiveness.

The poem also reflects on the cultural makeup of the region: "This land of Lutherans and sugar beets." This identifies key elements of the local identity—Lutheran faith and agriculture (specifically sugar beets)—as central to the community's life. The phrase "thickens its marvelous thinness here at the edge of a Red River whose windings alone betray the rectilinear" metaphorically suggests that while the land and its culture might seem straightforward and uncomplex, there are undercurrents of depth and complexity symbolized by the meandering Red River that contrasts the otherwise straight lines that dominate the landscape.

"Downtown, parking space is no problem, and grain-fed health rewards those God's grandeur does not drive mad," concludes the poem on a note that mixes irony with a somber reflection. The ease of parking stands as a symbol of small-town life, while "grain-fed health" points to the agricultural abundance. Yet, the mention of "God's grandeur" hints at the overwhelming force of nature and perhaps the existential challenges of living in such an imposing landscape. The idea that the sublime beauty and vastness can drive one mad captures the awe-inspiring yet intimidating aspect of life in such a place.

In "Fargo," John Updike crafts a dense, layered ode to this distinctive American landscape, intertwining the physical and the cultural to paint a portrait that is as sweeping and broad as the plains he describes. Through this poem, he invites readers to feel the harshness, beauty, simplicity, and complexity of Fargo and its environment, all woven together into the fabric of daily existence in this unique part of the world.

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