Abstract
The basic principle of Marxist criticism is that society is divided in social classes that are in an antagonist relation, wherein the rich and strong exploit the poor and weak. In this sense, Walt Whitman’s poem “A Noiseless Patient Spider” does not reflect the exploitative relation that Marx sees as representative for society, but he rather describes the society of one, hence an atypical society. The solitude, isolation and desolation are feelings that appear throughout the story, so the reader can understand that possession, or a high social status is not as important as companionship, or when one is alone in the world. They are also metaphors that suggest that the author does not feel as belonging to a particular society. The author describes the spider, a metaphor for his own soul, in his effort of connecting to more vivid spaces, wherein to find others that resembles it. In this sense, the author expresses his idea and ideal for social equality, therefore, opposing Marx’s exploitation principle.
Key words: Marxist criticism, spider, exploitative relation, society, isolation, social status, equality.
In literature, each story or character reflects the author’s social context, class, or relationship with the rest of society, according to Marxism criticism (Snyder 68). In Walter Whitman’s “A Noiseless Patient Spider”, he describes the relationship between the author and the society through the metaphor of the spider from the first stanza, but also through the references to his own soul from the second stanza. The feeling of desolation, isolation and solitude present throughout the poem indicates that the poet feels that he is alone in the world, separated from other people like himself.
“A noiseless patient spider” (Whitman 1), the first line of the poem, describes how the poet sees himself in the society: noiseless and patient. The reference to spider is further described throughout the first stanza, as Whitman illustrates how the spider tries to build his web, sewing filament after filament in an effort to cover and “to explore the vacant vast surrounding” (Whitman 3). From the Marxist criticism perspective, the remark about the “vacant vast surrounding” is a metaphor that describes the Marxist separation between “the haves and the have-nots” (Kellner in Solomon and Sherman 86). Like this, the noiseless, patient spider, despite his isolation, has a vast space just for itself, which it does not share with anybody else. This situation may describe Whitman’s own social status, hence it can reflect his aristocratic position, having, or possessing a vast space just for himself.
However, as the story of the spider goes on, the reader can understand that its situation, of having a wide space only for itself is not offering the spider great comfort, but on the contrary, it creates a state of isolation. The spider tries to escape this estate of isolation by stretching its threads in order to get closer to others and put an end of its isolation, while in the company of others like it. The author describes the spider’s effort to find company, through visual imagery “It launch’d fort filament, filament, filament, out of itself/ Ever unreeling them, ever tirelessly speeding them” (Whitman 4-5).
The second stanza continues to describe the state of isolation, but this time, the author speaks to his own soul, indicating the inner feelings that he experiences in relationship with the world that surrounds him. The lines “And you O my soul where you stand,/ Surrounded, detached, in measureless oceans of space” (Whitman 6-7) depict a metaphor of solitude, suggesting that possessing a wide space does not replace the comfort of enjoying the company of others. Considering the fact that Marxist philosophy holds that social classes represent the differences between classes in terms of having and not having, but also in terms of ideology (Snyder 67), the solitude from these lines can also suggest the author’s cultural or ideological isolation. The author describes his effort to connect with the rest of the world, with people like him, to break away from his solitude. In the line “Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing, seeking the spheres to connect them” (Whitman 8), the poet uses the enumeration that forms an alliteration for expressing the struggle to connect with others like him. Unlike Marx’s ideology, which states that society is an exploitative relation between the rich and powerful and the poor and weak (Kellner in Solomon and Sherman 86), Whitman does not reflect this relationship, but he seeks a sense of communion, hence the quest for equality.
The analysis Walt Whitman’s “A Noiseless Patient Spider” poem through the theories of Marxism criticism suggests that the author feels alone in the world. The references to “the vacant vast surrounding” (Whitman 3) or the “measureless oceans of space” (Whitman 7) may depict both his high social status, or his ideology or culture, which are unique in the world. Nevertheless, by seeking to connect with the rest of the world, the author expresses his wish of finding others like him, expressing his hope for equality.
Works Cited
Kellner, Douglas “Karl Marx” in Robert Solomon and David Sherman. The Blackwell Guide to Continental Philosophy. Berlin: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2008. Print.
Snyder, Mary, H. Analyzing Literature-to-Film Adaptations: A Novelist’s Exploration and Guide. London: Continuum International Publishing Group. 2011. Print.
Whitman, Walt. A Noiseless Patient Spider. N.d. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/45473. Accessed 28 January 2017.
