Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Wallace Stevens’ "An Ordinary Evening in New Haven" is a complex meditation on perception, sensory experience, and the fragmented relationship between the present and the past. The poem is both an exploration of the nature of experience and a subtle critique of the ways we engage with the world around us. Through rich imagery and intricate philosophical musings, Stevens unpacks the limitations of human senses, the impermanence of memory, and the challenges of authentic connection to both the present and the past.

The poem begins with the assertion, “Only the rich remember the past,” a provocative opening that sets the tone for a critique of privilege and memory. The idea that only the wealthy have the luxury of remembering implies that memory is a kind of indulgence, an artifact of excess rather than necessity. The mention of “the strawberries once in the Apennines” and “Philadelphia that the spiders ate” underscores the decay and impermanence of even the most cherished aspects of the past. These vivid images evoke a sense of loss and the inevitable passage of time, suggesting that the past, no matter how beautiful, becomes distant and inaccessible.

Stevens’ portrayal of memory as a sensory phenomenon is central to the poem’s exploration of human perception. He notes that those who ostensibly “remember” the past do so in a detached, almost mechanical way: “They sit, holding their eyes in their hands.” This surreal image illustrates a disconnection between sensory organs and lived experience, as if the act of seeing or remembering is reduced to an externalized, performative gesture. By describing this disembodied memory, Stevens suggests that the past cannot truly be felt or experienced in the same way as the immediate present.

The poem’s repeated refrain, “To see. To hear, to touch, to taste, to smell, that?s now, / That’s this,” anchors the work in the immediacy of sensory experience. However, Stevens challenges the reader to question whether people genuinely engage with the present through their senses. He asks, “Do they touch the thing they see, / Feel the wind of it, smell the dust of it?” These rhetorical questions imply that sensory experiences are often superficial, failing to penetrate the surface of reality. In this sense, Stevens critiques the inability to fully inhabit the present, much as he critiques the idealization of the past.

The role of sight is particularly emphasized throughout the poem. Stevens elevates the eyes to a near-mythical status, describing them as “men in the palm of the hand.” In contrast, other senses are dismissed as “comic trash” or “dirt,” highlighting a hierarchy in how humans perceive the world. Sight, often regarded as the most immediate and reliable of the senses, becomes a metaphor for intellectual and aesthetic engagement. Yet even this privileged sense is limited: “They polish their eyes in their hands,” a futile attempt to clarify vision without addressing deeper issues of perception and understanding.

Stevens contrasts this exaltation of sight with the sensory poverty of other experiences. He laments the emptiness of “tasting dry seconds and insipid thirds” or hearing oneself “and not to speak.” These lines suggest a deeper existential frustration: the senses, though essential, often fail to connect individuals to a fuller, more meaningful reality. The present, like the past, remains elusive, slipping through the cracks of perception despite the richness of sensory input.

The poem circles back to its earlier imagery with the line, “The strawberries once in the Apennines.” Here, the strawberries are described as “a little painted, now,” and the mountains are “scratched and used, clear fakes.” This shift in tone underscores the fading vibrancy of memory and the artificiality of nostalgia. The objects of memory, once vivid and alive, have become static and overused, their authenticity diminished by time and distance. Stevens critiques the romanticization of the past, showing how it can distort reality and overshadow the present.

Ultimately, "An Ordinary Evening in New Haven" is a meditation on the limits of perception and the tension between memory and immediacy. Stevens’ intricate interplay of imagery and philosophical reflection invites readers to consider the ways they engage with the world. The poem suggests that both the past and the present are fraught with challenges: the past is inaccessible, reduced to faint echoes and artificial constructs, while the present is often experienced superficially, its richness dulled by routine and detachment.

Yet, in highlighting these challenges, Stevens also implicitly urges readers to strive for a deeper, more authentic engagement with life. By questioning the adequacy of sensory experience and memory, he opens a space for reflection on how to bridge the gap between perception and reality. Whether through sight, touch, or taste, the poem asks us to confront the limitations of our senses and seek a more profound connection to the world around us. In this way, Stevens transforms an ordinary evening into an extraordinary reflection on human existence.

Copyright (c) 2025 PoetryExplorer

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...