Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Charles Olson’s “Pedens, Who Re-Walked the Trails, Hobbyists” is a complex and dense reflection on historical migration, the mythology of the American West, and the artistic and cultural narratives that emerged from these journeys. Olson weaves historical references, poetic imagination, and a critique of romanticized frontier ideals into a text that is both an excavation of history and an exploration of human ambition and failure.

The poem’s opening lines invoke the Pedens—figures who “re-walked the trails”—as symbolic representations of modern hobbyists retracing the footsteps of historical pioneers. These “hobbyists” contrast with their predecessors, who experienced the brutal realities of westward expansion. By drawing attention to the act of re-walking, Olson highlights the distance between contemporary romanticism and the lived suffering of those who traversed these paths in search of new possibilities. This juxtaposition critiques how history is often sanitized or commodified, transforming real struggles into mere pastimes.

Olson then shifts to evoke Bernard DeVoto, a historian of the American West, whose work vividly captured the hardships of frontier life. References to “hauling & lowering teams” over the Wasatch Range and the infamous fate of the Donner Party—“ate ’em like the bites of the bug”—underscore the physical and existential challenges of the westward journey. The Donners, reduced to cannibalism amidst the Sierra Nevada’s harsh conditions, become a chilling emblem of human endurance and failure. Olson’s stark imagery refuses to romanticize their plight, presenting it as a sobering counterpoint to any idealized notions of Manifest Destiny.

The poem continues to interrogate the mythos of the American West, particularly California, described here as “Californiay.” Olson situates the West as both a destination and a site of disillusionment, “where the West was when she had run out.” This phrase suggests that the West, as a concept and a frontier, becomes exhausted—geographically, historically, and spiritually—upon reaching the Pacific. The only viable paths to this region, Olson notes, were by sea or through treacherous land routes like the one taken by the Donner Party. This sense of finality, of “running out,” encapsulates the emptiness at the heart of the West’s promise, a recurring theme in Olson’s work.

Olson juxtaposes the brutal realities of western expansion with the perspectives of European observers, such as German travelers and artists who documented the Civil War and the American landscape. These figures—described as watercolorists and observers—offer an external and aestheticized view of the frontier, emphasizing its visual allure while remaining detached from its hardships. Port Orford, a remote peninsula, becomes emblematic of the Pacific’s unforgiving nature, described as a place where “none try but Cyclops.” The Cyclops, with “caked-eyes,” symbolizes a monstrous blindness, a recurring motif in Olson’s critique of western hubris and the destructive consequences of human ambition.

The poem’s tone shifts as Olson introduces Robert Duncan, a fellow poet and contemporary, described here as a romanticized figure in “doe-skin” with a “fowling piece.” Duncan embodies the tension between artistic idealization and historical reality. Olson critiques the romanticization of the West’s brutality, portraying Duncan as both a participant in and a commentator on the myth-making process. The “bad sunset” Duncan stands against evokes the garish, clichéd imagery often associated with the West, contrasting with the deeper, more authentic struggles Olson seeks to illuminate.

Olson’s language is dense and layered, filled with historical allusions and complex syntax. The fragmented structure mirrors the disjointed nature of memory and historical narrative, resisting linear storytelling in favor of a more evocative, impressionistic approach. The poem’s shifts in tone and perspective—from historical accounts to poetic imagination—reflect Olson’s commitment to engaging with history not as a fixed sequence of events but as a dynamic, multifaceted process.

Ultimately, “Pedens, Who Re-Walked the Trails, Hobbyists” serves as both a critique of and a meditation on the American West’s enduring legacy. Olson dismantles the romantic myths surrounding westward expansion, exposing the violence, suffering, and disillusionment that underpin its history. At the same time, the poem acknowledges the allure of the West as a space of possibility and artistic inspiration, capturing its contradictions in a language as expansive and challenging as the landscape itself.

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