Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Vulcan," George Oppen presents a series of contrasting and intersecting images that explore the duality of modern existence, rooted both in the primal and the industrial. The poem exposes the undercurrents of life in a modern city, revealing how humanity's latest inventions are deeply tied to ancient elements, providing a critical reflection on both the human condition and societal structures.

The poem begins with the image of a householder who finds himself "adrift a moment" upon stepping out into the street. The "ice stiff / Exterior" could symbolize the isolating nature of urban life or even the general coldness of human society. The description of a "Peninsula / Low lying in the bay / And wooded" feels like a fragment from another time or place, serving as a foil to the urban scenes that follow. It suggests a natural, untouched world, starkly different from the man-made constructions the poem delves into later.

What follows is a transition to the subway, an epitome of modern urban life. The welder and his arc are now the natives of this new world, indicating how industrialization has replaced natural elements with human-made constructs: "We have not escaped each other, / Not in the forest, not here." The forest is both a literal and metaphorical space, indicating the inescapable interconnectedness of humanity, whether in nature or the built environment.

The appearance of a "crippled girl" in the subway serves as a turning point. She becomes a living symbol of the human cost of labor and progress. Her presence is uncomfortable, as the commuters "painfully / We shift our eyes." This could be a metaphor for society's unwillingness to face the uncomfortable truths about inequality and suffering. The "bare rails / And black walls contain / Labor before her birth," pointing out that the modern structures we take for granted are built on a legacy of human labor and, often, suffering.

In the last part of the poem, the girl imagines an anchor sinking through coins and machines, symbolizing perhaps a search for stability in a world built on shaky foundations. The "anchor's blunt fluke" represents a primal, elemental force that disrupts the mechanical, artificial world of "coins and coin machines." The juxtaposition of "the ancient iron and the voltage" speaks to the tension between the old and the new, natural elements and artificial constructions.

Ultimately, the anchor sinks "into harbor sand," perhaps suggesting a return to the natural world, even if only in the imagination. The imagery harkens back to the opening description of the "Peninsula," as if in a cyclical return to where it all began-nature.

Through "Vulcan," George Oppen delves into the complexities and contradictions of modern life, highlighting the inescapable bonds that tie us to each other and to the elemental forces of the world. Even as we forge new paths through technology and innovation, we remain inextricably linked to ancient elements and human vulnerabilities. The poem serves as a poignant reminder that progress comes at a price, and that the fruits of labor are never just the gleaming end products, but also the human and elemental costs beneath them.

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...