Loneliness and Lust

The three works we had to read for today share the string of loneliness. We see this most obviously in “l(a” by E. E. Cummings. It is also visible in “Love Medicine,” as Grandma is lonely and longs for Grandpa, but also how Grandpa is completely alone in his own world. It is more difficult to understand in “This Is Just to Say,” but the three of them are definitely about loneliness and longing.

E. E. Cummings’ “l(a” is intimidating when first looked at. First of all, what is it called exactly, “l parenthesis a”? This is a question that can’t be understood until the poem is read. At first glance, the poem itself makes no sense either. However, it is not difficult to decipher, that it actually says “loneliness” with the words “a leaf falls” inside it. The first thing that came to my head was someone sitting by themselves watching leaves fall off a tree. Almost like when someone tells a bad joke and you hear the crickets. It is a feeling of utter loneliness. The form of the poem almost gives the sensation of “no one understands me.” It also resembles a leaf falling, with the breaks because leaves don’t ever fall straight down. Also, the first 6 lines have one or two letters, and the first time we see more actually forms the word “one,” another word that has to do with loneliness.

In Louise Erdich’s “Love Medicine,” the most obvious sense of longing comes from Grandma. The poor woman just wants to be with her husband, but his mind is constantly on other things. She gets very lonely and jealous while he is off with another woman, and her grandson does all he can to get her and Grandpa back together, but it results in his death. The ironic part is that once he is dead, she is no longer lonely, because his presence haunts her.

“This Is Just to Say” by William Carlos Williams was kind of a stretch to relate. I think it was more about lust and longing than it was about loneliness exactly. This man lusted for something, whether it was actually plums or something symbolic, and he took it without permission. Apparently, he felt remorse for it, and asked for forgiveness. Perhaps the other person was mad at him, and he felt lonely without her. the form of the poem reinforces this, as if it is difficult for him to admit, because the lines end in odd places. This is the same kind of guilt Grandma feels in "Love Medicine" after she accidentally kills her husband because of her lust for him.