Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

James Wright’s "His Tomb in Ohio" is a sharp and satirical examination of the legacy of President Warren G. Harding, blending biting humor with a somber reflection on human frailty, public ridicule, and the unforgiving nature of history. Wright confronts Harding’s enduring reputation as an ineffectual and scandal-ridden leader while also exploring broader themes of societal cruelty and the persistence of human indifference.

The poem opens with a nod to H.L. Mencken’s caustic wit, quoting his dismissive remark about William Jennings Bryan, and then shifts to Harding, whose tomb becomes the focal point of this critique. Described as a “ridiculous tomb,” Harding’s final resting place stands in stark contrast to the gravitas one might expect for a U.S. president. Located amidst “a hundred slag piles,” the tomb is depicted as an incongruous and almost grotesque symbol of Harding’s diminished legacy, subject to the “moon and rain” that reduce its solemnity to absurdity. This imagery establishes the tone of the poem, which intertwines physical decay with moral and historical judgment.

Wright’s declaration, “No, I have never seen that place,” distances the speaker from the site while acknowledging its cultural resonance. The description of “shadows of faceless thieves” who “chuckle and stumble and embrace / On beer cans, stogie butts, and graves” evokes a scene of dereliction and irreverence, suggesting that Harding’s tomb has become a gathering place for the disreputable and the disenchanted. This tableau mirrors the scandals that plagued Harding’s administration, particularly the Teapot Dome scandal, casting his tomb as a metaphorical extension of his presidency—a site of corruption and moral ambiguity.

The poem shifts to recount a historical moment when Herbert Hoover and Calvin Coolidge visited Harding’s grave, offering hollow tributes in the aftermath of the nation’s collapse under Harding’s leadership. Their speeches, characterized by Wright as sniveling, lack sincerity and fail to address the deeper failings of the era. Wright underscores the futility of their gestures by noting that “Hoover and Coolidge crept away / By night, and women closed their doors,” emphasizing the widespread embarrassment and disillusionment surrounding Harding’s memory. This image portrays Harding’s legacy as so toxic that even other political figures sought to distance themselves from it.

As the poem moves into the present, Wright juxtaposes the grandiosity of Harding’s tomb with the ordinariness of daily life in Ohio. Junkmen, young lovers, and loafers populate the landscape, indifferent to the tomb’s significance. The mean-spirited figure of the one-legged man who rakes leaves symbolizes the unrelenting grind of ordinary existence, untouched by the supposed grandeur of Harding’s memorial. This indifference reflects a broader societal apathy toward Harding’s legacy, reducing his life and presidency to little more than a footnote in the collective memory.

Wright’s depiction of Harding’s tomb as a “big pretentious stone” that “lays him bare to ridicule” captures the tension between public commemoration and private failure. The monument, intended to honor Harding, instead becomes a symbol of his inadequacy and the mockery that has followed him in death. Wright’s acknowledgment of Harding as a “fool” aligns with popular narratives of his presidency but also raises deeper questions about the cruelty of historical judgment. Harding’s failings, both personal and political, are dissected with merciless precision, yet the poem’s closing lines suggest a more universal indictment of human nature.

The final stanza introduces a note of defiance: “I know it. But don’t look at me. / By God, I didn’t start this mess.” Here, the speaker distances himself from the moral and political failures of Harding’s time, yet the invocation of divine authority—“By God”—implies an underlying complicity or shared responsibility. The reference to “moon and rain” as forces beyond human control contrasts with the mercilessness of men’s hearts, suggesting that while nature is indifferent, humanity is actively cruel. This insight broadens the poem’s scope, transforming it from a critique of Harding into a meditation on the unyielding harshness of public and historical judgment.

Ultimately, "His Tomb in Ohio" is not merely a condemnation of Harding but a reflection on the fragility of human ambition and the relentless scrutiny of history. Wright’s portrayal of Harding’s tomb as a site of ridicule and neglect underscores the disparity between the grandeur of public office and the flawed humanity of those who occupy it. The poem invites readers to consider the ways in which we construct and deconstruct legacies, often reducing complex lives to simple narratives of failure or success. In Harding’s case, Wright offers a sobering reminder of the mercilessness with which history treats those who falter, even as he suggests that this judgment is as much a reflection of our own nature as it is of Harding’s shortcomings.

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