Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"The Last One" by William Stanley Merwin is an unsettling, fable-like narrative that delves into the environmental and existential cost of human hubris and detachment from nature. It explores the human impulse to dominate, the obliviousness to natural order, and the calamitous consequences that ensue when humanity attempts to control what it neither understands nor respects. The poem is steeped in an atmosphere of impending doom, heightened by its deliberate, almost monotonic tone.

The poem begins with the line, "Well they'd made up their minds to be everywhere because why not," immediately establishing a theme of human entitlement. The collective "they" think that "everywhere was theirs because they thought so." Such reasoning serves as a frightening commentary on how human beings often believe they have the right to exploit the earth's resources, simply because they exist and possess the capability to do so.

Merwin paints a bleak picture where humans "cut everything" and take both the physical and metaphorical shadows away. The phrase "Some to have some for burning" starkly illustrates the impetus to exploit nature not just for necessity, but for wastefulness. As they proceed to cut, the people finally encounter water and a tree that cast its shadow on the water. The humans cut the last tree down, but find that they cannot remove its shadow from the water, no matter how hard they try-by cutting, by covering with boards, by shining lights, by exploding the water. The shadow refuses to be obliterated; it "went on growing."

The inexorable growth of the shadow takes on a chilling significance as the narrative unfolds. The shadow is an unwavering metaphor for the consequences of human actions-consequences that not only persist but also expand, despite our attempts to mitigate them. The shadow defies the humans' every effort to control it; it "stayed where it was before," refusing to be scraped, beaten, or extinguished.

As the poem reaches its climax, the shadow becomes not just a consequence, but a devouring force. "It got into eyes the eyes went blind," Merwin writes, metaphorically suggesting that the myopic vision that led to the destruction of the environment will also lead to humanity's own downfall. The shadow grows over people, swallowing them and their individual shadows, until the survivors are forced to "go away to live if it would let them."

"The Last One" serves as a poignant cautionary tale about the repercussions of human hubris, ignorance, and detachment from the natural world. Its repetitive structure and unsettling tone amplify the urgency of its message: that there are natural orders and limits which humans violate at their peril. In a world increasingly impacted by climate change, deforestation, and other environmental crises, the poem's themes resonate deeply, serving as a haunting reminder that nature, once provoked, may reclaim itself in ways beyond human control.

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