Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Sherman Alexie's poem "Water" is a multi-sectional, narrative poem that navigates an intricate terrain of human experiences and emotions as they relate to water-symbolically and literally. In a span of 9 sections, Alexie examines water as a life force, a source of fear, a reservoir of memories, and a complex site for understanding the intersecting dynamics of race, culture, and personal relationships.

Themes

The theme of water is layered with duality; it is both a life force and a source of destruction. Water becomes a lens through which characters in the poem view the world. From the woman who swims naked in the ocean, to the speaker's memory of swim lessons, to the sad tale of a man drowning in a puddle, water is ever-present. Beyond the elemental, the poem delves into human complexities and social nuances-romanticization, cultural appropriation, gender roles, fears, and regrets are explored to build a deeper thematic narrative.

The first segment introduces a woman swimming naked in the ocean in all seasons. The speaker initially finds her nudity erotic but ultimately shifts his focus to the cold and her "faith in two parts hydrogen, one part oxygen." This part explores the themes of eroticism, nature, and vulnerability. It comments on the dual role of water-both a source of life and an inexorable force that can command one's complete submission to nature.

The second part takes a sudden, painful turn, describing the speaker's experience of getting third-degree burns from hot tea. The physicality of water changes: from a cool, liberating ocean to scalding tea that leaves scars. The intersection of water with cultural narratives is evident when the speaker deceives a white woman by attributing the scars to a "highly sacred Spokane Indian adulthood ceremony."

The third section delves into mortality and the unforeseen tragedies water can bring. It tells of a man drowning in "three inches of water" collected in a tire track, reflecting the peril that can lurk even in the most trivial of places. This part brings an epic quality to the 'everyday,' turning an unfortunate accident into something monumental through references to Shakespearean and Biblical characters.

The poem transitions to more mundane yet complicated human experiences, such as depression, anxieties about air travel, and even the simple act of asking for a pitcher of water at a restaurant. Each section brings water into the discussion either as a coping mechanism, a symbol of potential danger, or a focus of human absurdity.

The seventh part reminisces about swim lessons taught by teenagers, embedding water into the memories of youth and the nostalgia for moments of innocence and burgeoning identity. The speaker questions if these teachers remember him and wonders about their lives.

The eighth and ninth sections explore cultural and personal relationships with water. One is humorously shallow-a brother's love for Kool-aid-while the other is fraught with tension, focusing on the speaker's wife praying with a "glass of water on the windowsill."

Sherman Alexie's style combines straightforward language with nuanced layers of meaning. The poem's fragmented structure allows for a multifaceted exploration of water's various roles and implications, shifting between different tones-from contemplative to whimsical, from deeply personal to broadly existential.

Structure: The fragmented structure is reminiscent of water itself: fluid, unpredictable, always in motion. Each section could stand alone but gains deeper meaning when read as part of the whole. This allows Alexie to tackle disparate experiences related to water, encompassing both the personal and the communal, without needing to fit them into a single narrative line. Each vignette acts like a droplet, contributing to the fuller, flowing experience of the poem.

Provenance and Context: Sherman Alexie is a Spokane-Coeur d'Alene-American novelist, poet, and filmmaker. The poem's context could be situated in Alexie's broader dialogue with Native American life, hardships, and stereotypes. Although "Water" isn't overtly political, its understated commentary on cultural dynamics-such as the third-degree burns being misconstrued as a "highly sacred Spokane Indian adulthood ceremony"-is worth noting for its implications concerning identity and cultural appropriation.

Critical Evaluation

The multi-section structure of "Water" allows Alexie to take a seemingly simple element and expand it into a wide-ranging, complex web of human experiences and social commentaries. This offers an enriching and engrossing read, but also serves as an invitation for deeper critical engagement with the themes presented.

Sherman Alexie's "Water" thus serves as a highly evocative, subtly complex poem that speaks on multiple levels. It tells us that something as ubiquitous as water can be a mirror reflecting the complexities of human emotions, social structures, and even political contexts. The poem, in its subtle profundity, provides not just a sip but a deep dive into the human condition.

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...