Loneliness, Distance and the Inability to Resist Desire

The themes that connect E.E. Cummings’ “1(a,” William Carlos Williams’ “This Is Just To Say,” and Louise Erdrich’s “Love Medicine,” are loneliness and the inability to resist desire.
The theme of loneliness is evident in E.E. Cummings’ “1(a,” not only through the words but also the form of the poem. At first glance it is really hard to understand the poem, because of the unusual manner in which the poem is written. At first the letters and the parentheses seem random but after reading the poem a few times, it becomes evident that the structure of the poem contributes to developing the theme of loneliness. Because the words are connected and are broken up into different line it creates the feeling of distance and disconnection. The words within the parentheses spell out “a leaf falls,” and the remainder of the poem is outside of the parentheses and again that creates a feeling of distance. The last three lines spell out the word loneliness, although it is not in order. Having the words in straight line allows the reader to imagine a single leaf falling from the tree until it hits the ground.
The poem by Williams is about a man who cannot resist the temptation to eat “delicious…sweet…and cold” plums. Although he admits to knowing that the owner of the plums wanted to eat them for breakfast, he takes them for himself. Even though it may not be as evident, the tone of the poem creates a feeling of distance. His apology does not seem sincere and its feels rushed and out of place. Because he describes the plums after asking for forgiveness it seems that he is mocking the owner of the plums, which may have something to say about their relationship. It seems to imply that they are distance from one another.
The story by Cummings brings these two themes together. The first instance of loneliness is seen through the relationship between Lipsha and his grandparents and mother. There is not much said about the mother other than she had attempted to kill him when he was a child. Lipsha says that he grateful to his grandmother for saving him from his mother but he feels that “gratitude gets old.” His grandparents feel that he is wasting his life and the true love they have for each other does not become clear until the end of the story. Lipsha’s grandfather distances himself from everyone because of his progressing illness. Because the narrator does not provide details into his life or his surroundings it gives the reader only an outsiders view of the situation, again creating the feeling of distance. The most obvious example of the theme of the inability to resist desire is Lipsha’s grandfather’s unfaithfulness to his wife. Lipsha’s grandmother loves her husband, which drives her to accidentally kill him. Her desire for him ironically ends up causing his death.
These three works display the themes of loneliness or distance and the inability to resist desire in through their form and content. Cummings’ poem relies on the structure of the words and punctuation to portray the themes. Williams’ “ This Is Just To Say,” uses tone to create a feeling of distance between the narrator and the owner of the plums. Erdrich’s “Love Medicine” uses the lack of description to portray these themes.