Here I lie, Spoon River
We cannot but take notice when an Anthology of ‘spoken’ epitaphs opens, after the introductory first poem, with the words, “Here I lie…”. These words must cause us to ponder the veracity of what we are about to ‘hear’. Inevitably, because the poems are spoken from each individual’s point of view, there is bound to be discrepancies, contradictions and, possibly, flat-out-lies.
Hod Putt appears to be saying something straightforwardly simple: “Here I am in my grave, next to that of Old Bill Pierol.” As we read the poem, however, we begin to realise the irony implies things are not quite so simple as we first thought.
Notice, for instance, that Hod doesn’t actually place himself in a grave. Old Bill Piersol is in a grave and Hod tells us he lies close by. It is evident that Hod is indeed in his grave, though he refuses to be quite so specific about his own location. It is easier for Hod to acknowledge Old Bill Piersol’s situation than his own. Despite his matter-of-fact relating of his actual fate – how he killed a ‘traveler’ and was ‘tried and hanged’ for his crime – he cannot help but be somewhat circumspect about his current place of abode.
We have every reason to accept Hod Putt as a down-to-earth character who would be very unlikely to lie deliberately. As just mentioned, he is open and honest about his fate. He tells us simply, without excuse or self-pity, that he decided to commit the crime that led to his execution because he was “grown tired with toil and poverty”. There is nothing overtly deceptive about Hod’s epitaph.
All too often, meaning doesn’t just lie around on the surface, awaiting the lazy gaze of any who happen to glance in its direction, so it can jump up and declare its presence. Reading poetry, especially, requires patience, curiosity and diligence. In the case of ‘Spoon River Anthology’ we have, unusually, literally been told where to look. As with meaning, so the speakers of these epitaphs – despite the impression Hod Putt’s words might give – do not lie on the surface but beneath, in their graves. And, like meaning, though they are not to be seen, they are still to be heard, though dead yet shall they live (cf. Jn. 11:25).
The poem, as with the vast majority of the poems in ‘Spoon River Anthology’, is titled with Hod’s name, so where better to begin our digging for meaning?
A ‘hod’ is a simple device used for carrying bricks. To be a ‘hod carrier’ is to be a labourer or menial worker, one, in all likelihood, lacking formal qualifications or expertise. It is a name befitting a man who lives in ‘toil and poverty’.
Names are important, and many cultures and religions express this in some form of name-giving ceremonial in which a symbolic ‘contract’ is formed between the culture bestowing the name and the individual so bestowed. As H. Edward Deluzain claims, “the person who receives a name thereby receives an identity and a place within the society.” If this contract should be broken, not only might the person – as in the case of Hod Putt – be executed or, rather less extreme, banished from the community but, often, their name is also expunged from all records, often never to be spoken by those who remain.
Edgar Lee Masters, by giving Hod Putt the first epitaph of the Anthology, has, in a sense, broken an age-old taboo. In fact, this is the perfect way to begin a collection of poems which are ‘spoken’ by the dead – to read the Anthology is to have intercourse with the dead. Masters, then, invites his readers to join him in the breaking of societies long-held prohibitions and become willing to confront realities we never have considered before.
The given name of the character who ‘speaks’ the first epitaph confronts us with a possible reality that might be cause for some concern. That is, whether a name reflects our personality and behaviour or, in fact, shapes who we are or become. This is an especially interesting question when reading an Anthology of epitaphs which bear the names of their ‘speakers’. Can we know anything about the people lying in their graves upon The Hill just from their names?
So, while the name ‘Hod’ fits with the character's social standing and adds some understanding of his economic circumstances, does it determine how he seeks to change his life?
According to Behind the Name.com, ‘Hod’ is a Norwegian name, related to ‘Hǫðr’, which, in turn, is the original form of ‘Hodur’. Hodur, according to Norse Mythology, is a blind son of Odin, who is tricked by Loki into killing his own twin brother, Baldr. Just as Hod Putt accidentally kills a ‘traveler’, so Hodur accidentally kills his brother. Just as Hodur is manipulated by Loki into committing this crime, so Hod is manipulated by circumstance and the success of Old Bill Piersol into committing his crime. Hod’s only reward for his crime is, if you’ll pardon the pun, to be putt into a hole in the ground.
There are several reasons for exploring a name like this in such detail. Firstly, the name appears in the title of the poem and it is always worthwhile to give serious consideration to how the poem is titled. Secondly, individual words, when reading a poem, can carry – and often do – many connotations, with each adding another layer of meaning to the whole. Thirdly, and this is especially true of ‘Spoon River Anthology’, names are important and should be recognised as being as much a part of a character as physical attributes and their actions.
Most importantly, though, is that we shouldn’t be deceived by the manner-of-fact way in which Hod Putt tells his story. That Hod sees the irony of his lying, in death, close to the man to whom, for all his striving, he couldn’t get close to in life warns us that all is not quite so straightforward as it might seem. This is further emphasized by the way in which he uses ‘bankruptcy’ as a metaphor for death. Whatever else Hod Putt is, he is a character in a collection of poetry and nothing should be taken at face value. This is a lesson that will serve the reader well as they continue to read the other epitaphs of the Anthology.
Hod Putt appears to be saying something straightforwardly simple: “Here I am in my grave, next to that of Old Bill Pierol.” As we read the poem, however, we begin to realise the irony implies things are not quite so simple as we first thought.
Notice, for instance, that Hod doesn’t actually place himself in a grave. Old Bill Piersol is in a grave and Hod tells us he lies close by. It is evident that Hod is indeed in his grave, though he refuses to be quite so specific about his own location. It is easier for Hod to acknowledge Old Bill Piersol’s situation than his own. Despite his matter-of-fact relating of his actual fate – how he killed a ‘traveler’ and was ‘tried and hanged’ for his crime – he cannot help but be somewhat circumspect about his current place of abode.
We have every reason to accept Hod Putt as a down-to-earth character who would be very unlikely to lie deliberately. As just mentioned, he is open and honest about his fate. He tells us simply, without excuse or self-pity, that he decided to commit the crime that led to his execution because he was “grown tired with toil and poverty”. There is nothing overtly deceptive about Hod’s epitaph.
All too often, meaning doesn’t just lie around on the surface, awaiting the lazy gaze of any who happen to glance in its direction, so it can jump up and declare its presence. Reading poetry, especially, requires patience, curiosity and diligence. In the case of ‘Spoon River Anthology’ we have, unusually, literally been told where to look. As with meaning, so the speakers of these epitaphs – despite the impression Hod Putt’s words might give – do not lie on the surface but beneath, in their graves. And, like meaning, though they are not to be seen, they are still to be heard, though dead yet shall they live (cf. Jn. 11:25).
The poem, as with the vast majority of the poems in ‘Spoon River Anthology’, is titled with Hod’s name, so where better to begin our digging for meaning?
A ‘hod’ is a simple device used for carrying bricks. To be a ‘hod carrier’ is to be a labourer or menial worker, one, in all likelihood, lacking formal qualifications or expertise. It is a name befitting a man who lives in ‘toil and poverty’.
Names are important, and many cultures and religions express this in some form of name-giving ceremonial in which a symbolic ‘contract’ is formed between the culture bestowing the name and the individual so bestowed. As H. Edward Deluzain claims, “the person who receives a name thereby receives an identity and a place within the society.” If this contract should be broken, not only might the person – as in the case of Hod Putt – be executed or, rather less extreme, banished from the community but, often, their name is also expunged from all records, often never to be spoken by those who remain.
Edgar Lee Masters, by giving Hod Putt the first epitaph of the Anthology, has, in a sense, broken an age-old taboo. In fact, this is the perfect way to begin a collection of poems which are ‘spoken’ by the dead – to read the Anthology is to have intercourse with the dead. Masters, then, invites his readers to join him in the breaking of societies long-held prohibitions and become willing to confront realities we never have considered before.
The given name of the character who ‘speaks’ the first epitaph confronts us with a possible reality that might be cause for some concern. That is, whether a name reflects our personality and behaviour or, in fact, shapes who we are or become. This is an especially interesting question when reading an Anthology of epitaphs which bear the names of their ‘speakers’. Can we know anything about the people lying in their graves upon The Hill just from their names?
So, while the name ‘Hod’ fits with the character's social standing and adds some understanding of his economic circumstances, does it determine how he seeks to change his life?
According to Behind the Name.com, ‘Hod’ is a Norwegian name, related to ‘Hǫðr’, which, in turn, is the original form of ‘Hodur’. Hodur, according to Norse Mythology, is a blind son of Odin, who is tricked by Loki into killing his own twin brother, Baldr. Just as Hod Putt accidentally kills a ‘traveler’, so Hodur accidentally kills his brother. Just as Hodur is manipulated by Loki into committing this crime, so Hod is manipulated by circumstance and the success of Old Bill Piersol into committing his crime. Hod’s only reward for his crime is, if you’ll pardon the pun, to be putt into a hole in the ground.
There are several reasons for exploring a name like this in such detail. Firstly, the name appears in the title of the poem and it is always worthwhile to give serious consideration to how the poem is titled. Secondly, individual words, when reading a poem, can carry – and often do – many connotations, with each adding another layer of meaning to the whole. Thirdly, and this is especially true of ‘Spoon River Anthology’, names are important and should be recognised as being as much a part of a character as physical attributes and their actions.
Most importantly, though, is that we shouldn’t be deceived by the manner-of-fact way in which Hod Putt tells his story. That Hod sees the irony of his lying, in death, close to the man to whom, for all his striving, he couldn’t get close to in life warns us that all is not quite so straightforward as it might seem. This is further emphasized by the way in which he uses ‘bankruptcy’ as a metaphor for death. Whatever else Hod Putt is, he is a character in a collection of poetry and nothing should be taken at face value. This is a lesson that will serve the reader well as they continue to read the other epitaphs of the Anthology.
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