Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Kenneth Patchen’s "Reason for Skylarks" is a haunting, surreal narrative that explores themes of loss, frustration, and the destructive consequences of unmet longing. Written in a mythic, almost fairy-tale style, the poem presents the figure of a giant whose actions oscillate between tenderness and violence, reflecting the dual nature of human emotions when faced with grief and helplessness. Through vivid imagery and a blending of fantastical elements with raw emotional truth, Patchen crafts a work that is both unsettling and deeply moving.

The poem begins in the early hours of the morning as the giant reaches the "tree of children." The children’s faces are described as shining "like white apples / On the cold dark branches," an image that blends innocence with vulnerability. The comparison to apples—often symbolic of knowledge, temptation, and loss—introduces an undercurrent of danger or inevitable downfall. The children’s dresses and coats "made sodden gestures in the wind," suggesting a lifelessness or heaviness that sets a somber tone. This imagery positions the children as fragile, almost fruit-like objects to be harvested, emphasizing their helplessness and the giant’s role as both caretaker and potential threat.

Interestingly, the giant’s initial behavior is gentle. He does not exhibit typical monstrous traits—he neither laughs maniacally nor stomps about with anger. Instead, he begins "lifting them tenderly down / Into a straw basket," displaying care and a sense of responsibility. The basket, "fixed / By a golden strap to his shoulder," hints at a sacred or significant duty, as if the giant is performing an important, though mysterious, task. This tenderness complicates the reader’s expectations of the giant, positioning him as a complex figure whose motivations are not immediately clear.

However, this fragile peace is shattered when the giant accidentally drops one child—a "soft pretty child / Whose hair was the color of watered milk." The description of the child’s hair, pale and delicate, emphasizes her innocence. Her fall into the "long grass" and the giant’s inability to find her despite his desperate search mark the turning point of the poem. His fingers bleed from the effort, and when dawn arrives without success, his frustration boils over. The giant shakes his fist at the sky, cursing God with a "bitter name." This act of defiance and anger highlights the giant’s deep sense of powerlessness. He has tried to fulfill his task, but his failure leads him to lash out at the divine, blaming a higher power for his inability to protect or recover the lost child.

Receiving no response from the heavens, the giant’s grief transforms into rage. He kneels before the tree, not in prayer, but in preparation for violence. Grasping the trunk, he shakes it until all the remaining children fall into the grass. This act, driven by frustration, signals a loss of control, as if the giant’s inability to reconcile his emotions leads him to destroy what he once handled with care. His subsequent actions—“pranced and stamped / Them to jelly”—are grotesque and horrifying, a brutal reversal of his earlier tenderness. Yet, even after this violent outburst, the giant "felt no peace." This suggests that the destruction was not motivated by hatred but by a desperate attempt to quell an internal turmoil that violence ultimately fails to resolve.

The giant’s descent into further destruction continues as he sets fire to his "half-full basket," holding it by the handle until everything inside is reduced to ashes. The deliberate nature of this act, along with his earlier violence, indicates that the giant is trying to obliterate all evidence of his failure, as though erasing the children might also erase his grief. But despite these acts of destruction, the giant remains restless, unable to find the solace he seeks.

The poem’s surreal and ambiguous ending introduces two men on "steaming horses," approaching "from the direction of the world." Their arrival suggests the intrusion of reality or perhaps judgment into the giant’s isolated, mythic space. However, rather than confronting them with violence or further despair, the giant produces a "little silver flute" and plays "tune / After tune" until the men reach him. This final act of music-making is deeply symbolic. The flute, a delicate and traditionally pastoral instrument, contrasts sharply with the giant’s prior violence, hinting at a return to a more peaceful or reflective state. Music, in this context, may represent the giant’s attempt to communicate his grief in a form that transcends words, or it might serve as a final, futile gesture to find meaning or connection in a world where violence has failed him.

Patchen’s use of fantastical imagery and allegorical elements invites multiple interpretations. On one level, the giant can be seen as a symbol of humanity’s struggle with grief, loss, and the futility of control. His initial tenderness suggests the natural desire to protect innocence, while his eventual descent into violence reflects the destructive potential of unprocessed grief and frustration. The tree of children, with its eerie, fruit-like imagery, could symbolize the fragility of life or the burden of responsibility that comes with caring for others. The lost child represents an irretrievable loss, the kind of trauma that drives the giant into a spiral of anger and destruction.

On a broader scale, the poem can be read as a commentary on the cyclical nature of violence and the human tendency to respond to loss with aggression when faced with powerlessness. The giant’s rage against God echoes humanity’s age-old struggle to find meaning in suffering and the frequent failure to reconcile with the absence of divine intervention. The arrival of the two men at the end suggests that life continues beyond individual grief, but whether they bring judgment, understanding, or indifference remains unclear.

Structurally, the poem’s narrative flow mirrors the giant’s emotional journey, moving from calm, measured actions to chaotic, destructive ones, and finally to a subdued, reflective conclusion. The lack of traditional stanza breaks and the seamless blending of action and introspection create a continuous, immersive experience for the reader. This structure reflects the overwhelming, uncontainable nature of the giant’s emotions, pulling the reader into the relentless progression from tenderness to violence to weary resignation.

In "Reason for Skylarks," Kenneth Patchen presents a complex, allegorical exploration of grief, loss, and the human capacity for both tenderness and destruction. Through surreal imagery and shifting emotional tones, the poem delves into the ways in which people cope with failure and helplessness, highlighting the fragile boundary between love and violence. The giant’s journey, marked by both care and brutality, serves as a powerful reflection on the challenges of navigating grief and the often-futile search for peace in the aftermath of loss. Ultimately, the poem suggests that while destruction may offer a temporary outlet for frustration, it cannot resolve the deeper, more persistent pain of loss—a pain that lingers even after the flames have died and the music fades.

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